Strong Electrical Discharge Research Articles

Natural quasicrystal found in ‘fossilized lightning’

A quasicrystal that was probably formed by a strong electrical discharge through a sand dune has been found by researchers in the US and Italy.

Transient Luminous Events, into the Stratosphere and the Mesosphere, observed during violent thunderstorms lightning, are explained thanks to laboratory jets of photons in air, occuring during emission of Gravitational Quanta


 
 
 Abstract : A Gravitational field emitter, as we patented in 2006, is composed of an “active” material squeezed between two metallic electrodes. The active material is superconducting, with conductive or insulating grains added inside, to get local electric fields during brief electric discharges made into that emitter. Along such a discharge, the emitter propels itself, by anisotropic re-emission of interacting Gravitational Quanta. These emitted quanta accelerate distant matter particles placed along their trajectory. With early YBCO superconducting material emitters, cooled down by liquid nitrogen, we observed systematically a bright emission of light into the bath. This light emission is caused by nitrogen molecules’ ionization by gravitational quanta push. In 2012, the partial superconducting behavior of natural Graphite, at room temperature, was discovered, so we built new emitters from Graphite. These shown the same propelling effect as the early ones made of YBCO, with a lower performance. Here we record and discuss light emission in the form of jets of photons, in air, at room temperature, and pressure, during strong electric discharges into Graphite based emitters. These results enhance the confirmation of predictions from our theoretical Quantum model of Inertia and Gravitation. They explain also the enigmatic Transient Luminous Events observed in the atmosphere over thunderstorms clouds.
 
 
 

Unexpected species diversity in electric eels with a description of the strongest living bioelectricity generator

Is there only one electric eel species? For two and a half centuries since its description by Linnaeus, Electrophorus electricus has captivated humankind by its capacity to generate strong electric discharges. Despite the importance of Electrophorus in multiple fields of science, the possibility of additional species-level diversity in the genus, which could also reveal a hidden variety of substances and bioelectrogenic functions, has hitherto not been explored. Here, based on overwhelming patterns of genetic, morphological, and ecological data, we reject the hypothesis of a single species broadly distributed throughout Greater Amazonia. Our analyses readily identify three major lineages that diverged during the Miocene and Pliocene—two of which warrant recognition as new species. For one of the new species, we recorded a discharge of 860 V, well above 650 V previously cited for Electrophorus, making it the strongest living bioelectricity generator.

Modeling and rapid simulation of the propagation and multiple branching of electrical discharges in gaseous atmospheres

The trajectories and branching of electrical discharges through gaseous atmospheres, such as lightning and coronal emissions from high-voltage electromachinery, are of interest in a variety of applications. Multiple branches can evolve in an initially poor atmospheric conductor when a strong electrical discharge builds up, then propagates through the atmosphere by dielectric breakdown. Multiple branches can be generated in gases because of the disordered character of the media at the microscale, with an overall influence occurring from the ambient electric fields. In this paper, we develop a sufficiently flexible computational model to describe discharge trajectory and branching. The framework allows analysts to rapidly simulate thousands of electrical discharge scenarios, in order to statistically explore the dependency of the overall system behavior on the relevant physical parameters.

Dynamic generation of supercritical water fluid in a strong electrical discharge in a liquid

A new impetus for the development of electro physics is associated with using different types of electrical discharges in biology and medicine. These applications are based on their energetic and non-toxic factors affecting the medium on a cellular level. For the study of such processes, a mathematical model of a high-current low-temperature Z-discharge in a liquid, forming by the electrical explosion of a thin-walled metal shell, connected to a pulsed high-voltage generator, has been developed. High efficiency energy conversion, introduced into the plasma discharge to the energy of fluid motion, provides various bio chemical applications of such physical processes. The investigation is conducted through numerical solution of one-dimensional single-temperature non-stationary equations of radiation magneto hydrodynamics, one way describing the evolution of hydrodynamic, thermal and electrical characteristics of the medium throughout the area under consideration. The electrical approximation based on the assumption that the electric field in the discharge has a uniform distribution. The results are presented as a function of the electric current and the plasma channel length of time, as well as the temperature and pressure distributions at different time points along the radius of the cylindrical region in which the explosion occurs.

Physical Phenomena Observed during Strong Electric Discharges into Layered Y123 Superconducting Devices at 77 K

Electric discharges of several megawatts were applied, at 77 K, to propelling devices made of Y123 superconducting layers and thin insulating layers. During the discharges, the devices were strongly pushed in the direction opposed to the electron flow. The layered devices were apparently propelled by their emission of a momentum-bearing flux of an unknown nature. This flux weakly accelerated distant irradiated matter and created several physical effects not yet reported. The emitted beam had no electric charge, and traveled through materials without apparent absorption or dispersion, at a speed much greater than 1% the speed of light. The kinetic energy transferred by the propelling momentum of the devices to external masses, were proportional to the square of the electric energy of the discharges. No known effects were found which could explain these phenomena.

Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes as Powerful Particle Accelerators

Strong electric discharges associated with thunderstorms can produce terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs), i.e., intense bursts of xrays and γrays lasting a few milliseconds or less. We present in this Letter new TGF timing and spectral data based on the observations of the Italian Space Agency AGILE satellite. We determine that the TGF emission above 10 MeV has a significant power-law spectral component reaching energies up to 100 MeV. These results challenge TGF theoretical models based on runaway electron acceleration. The TGF discharge electric field accelerates particles over the large distances for which maximal voltages of hundreds of megavolts can be established. The combination of huge potentials and large electric fields in TGFs can efficiently accelerate particles in large numbers, and we reconsider here the photon spectrum and the neutron production by photonuclear reactions in the atmosphere.

Investigation of the structure of a strong electric discharge in a high-velocity air flow

Investigation of the structure of a strong electric discharge in a high-velocity air flow

Investigation of the structure of a strong electric discharge in a high-velocity air flow

Many studies devoted to both the theoretical and the experimental analysis of the problem of controlling the aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles using local heat-generating zones organized by means of external fuel combustion or directly as a result of the Joule dissipation of an electric current have recently been published. In this study attention is concentrated on the latter case.

The TSS‐1R Mission: Overview and scientific context

The Tethered Satellite System (TSS) program is a binational collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) with NASA providing the Shuttle‐based deployer and tether and ASI providing a satellite especially designed for tethered deployment. Twelve science investigations (see Table 1) were supported by NASA, ASI, or the Air Force Philips Laboratory. The goals of the TSS‐IR mission, which was the second flight of the TSS hardware, were to provide unique opportunities to explore (1) certain space plasma‐electrodynamic processes—particularly those involved in the generation of ionospheric currents, and (2) the orbital mechanics of a gravity‐gradient stabilized system of two satellites linked by a long conducting tether.TSS‐IR was launched February 22, 1996 on STS‐75 into a 300‐km, circular orbit at 28.5° inclination. Satellite flyaway occurred at MET 3/00:27 and a unique data set was obtained over the next 5 hours as the tether was deployed to a length of 19,695 m. At MET 3/05:11, during a day pass, the tether suddenly broke near the top of the deployer boom. The break resulted from a flaw in the tether insulation which allowed the ignition of a strong electrical discharge that melted the tether. The operations that had begun at satellite flyaway, however, allowed significant science to be accomplished.

On the possibilities for detecting radio emissions from earthquakes

A new theory of earthquakes (EQs) predicts strong electric discharges which may be detected by a wide-band radio receiving system. It is found that detection from space would not be possible and a system on the Earth's surface would be faced with several engineering difficulties. A low-frequency subterranean receiving system would have a much better probability of detecting electrical seismic discharges and it is further suggested that evidence for such discharges could already exist in ELF radio recordings routinely made at polar research stations.

Electric organ discharge (EOD) and prey capture behaviour in the electric eel, Electrophorus electricus

1. The prey capture behaviour and the pattern of the associated electric organ discharge (EOD) were studied in the electric eel, Electrophorus electricus. 2. The resting fish emits only low-voltage EODs at a rate of about 1 Hz; the rate of this emission increases during swimming, reaching values of 10 Hz. 3. The strong electric discharge is emitted during prey capture as well as while hunting prey. Prey capture discharge trains comprise between 50 and several thousand impulses. In the case of prey capture failure, the number of impulses is significantly lower (Fig. 3). A hunting discharge is composed of high-voltage pulses at 500 Hz, the first one being preceded by a single low-voltage pulse. 4. Prey capture discharge trains occur any time during an ongoing low-voltage pulse train. The first pulse of the train is generally of low amplitude, preceding by 2 ms the strong electric pulses. Depending on the time relationship to the low-voltage EOD, this first impulse may show variable amplitude (Fig. 5). 5. In all the fish studied, the frequency of the Sach's electric organ discharge increased before the onset of the strong pulse train. However, this increase was only significant for the last pulse (Fig. 4). No evidence was found that the prey was detected by the low-voltage EOD. 6. The prey capture discharge may be easily elicited by water displacement directed towards the head of the electric eel.

Active Nitrogen

Criticisms have been made of the ionic theory of active nitrogen, proposed by the author some years ago, on the ground that experiments carried out since then with the specific purpose of detecting ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}^{+}$ ions in the glowing gas have yielded negative results. Need is felt therefore for re-examining the older theories in particular the atomic theory and its variations. It is shown in the paper that by collating the suggestions made in respect of this theory in recent years one may make the following hypothesis: Active nitrogen is a mixture of nitrogen atoms in the ground state $^{4}S$ and the metastable states $^{2}D$ and $^{2}P$ (the last named in small proportion) produced by dissociative recombination of ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}^{+}$ ions and electrons always present in a strong electric discharge in nitrogen. The ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}^{+}$ ions and electrons are thus the parent bodies of the active substance instead of being themselves the active substance, as had been proposed in the ionic theory. The reason the production of the atoms is supposed to be due to dissociative recombination and not to electronic bombardment of ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ molecules, is that it has been known for a long time that the production of active nitrogen is closely associated with the presence and production of ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}^{+}$ ions. The two outstanding properties of active nitrogen (besides its chemical activity) e.g., long-duration afterglow emitting its characteristic band spectrum, and the invariable presence of ionization in the glowing gas, are thus explained as follows: The nitrogen atoms recombine by a preassociation process (as first suggested by Gaydon) to produce ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ molecules in the high vibrational levels of the $B$ state from which the first positive bands, with the characteristic intensity distribution, are emitted. The long life of the afterglow is explained as resulting from the fact that the wall recombination of the N atoms is prevented by the formation of an adsorbed layer of ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ molecules on the wall surface. (Formation of such an adsorbed layer was also assumed in the ionic theory.) The invariable presence of ionization in the glowing gas is explained as resulting from ionizing recombination of metastable atoms, $\mathrm{N}(^{2}D)+\mathrm{N}(^{2}P)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{{\mathrm{N}}_{2}}^{+}+e$. Possible explanations of the negative temperature coefficient of the glow intensity, of the so-called dark modification, and also of some of the other properties of active nitrogen, are suggested.

The Neutron

The NeutronPublished Online:29 May 2014https://doi.org/10.1259/0007-1285-5-53-390SectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail AboutAbstractTwelve years ago Lord Rutherford, in the Bakerian Lecture delivered before the Royal Society in 1920, suggested the possibility of the existence of an ultimate particle consisting of a very close combination of a proton and an electron to form an uncharged nuclear unit with a mass of nearly 1, as a possible step between the simple and the complex atom. The late Dr. Glasson and Dr. Roberts both made experiments to see whether neutrons were produced in the strong electric discharge through hydrogen, but they were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, however, a continuous series of experiments was being carried out by various workers on the origin of the gamma rays, and a considerable range of light elements was submitted to the bombardment of α-rays in order that the resulting radiations might be examined. Previous article Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 5, Issue 53May 1932Pages: 385-480 © The British Institute of Radiology History Published onlineMay 29,2014 Metrics Download PDF

The Transmutation of Uranium into Uranium X

As described in the Journal for Applied Chemistry (Berlin, Leipzig, No. 32, 1924), the present writer succeeded in 1922 in observing the transmutation of mercury into other elements, when submitted to the effect of a strong electric discharge. This discovery was described in a manuscript deposited under G 56485 IV/12 h on May 3, 1922, in the German Government Patent Office, where it may be seen by anybody. It is therefore incorrect to state that Miethe first observed the transmutation of mercury.