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From: pmk@prometheus.UUCP (Paul M Koloc)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Re: Ball lightening
Message-ID: <133@prometheus.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 3-Apr-85 01:56:43 EST
Article-I.D.: promethe.133
Posted: Wed Apr  3 01:56:43 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Apr-85 02:52:51 EST
References: <56@tekig5.UUCP> <9585@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Organization: Prometheus II Ltd., College Park, MD
Lines: 77


> One does not see the field, but rather ionization paths of the air.

There is a photograph of ball lightning that clearly shows
evidence of a dipole field slightly poking out of the surface by
its effect on the plasma transport.  (The sun too, during full
solar eclipse).  In other regions, the transport is
clamped by the tangentially trapped magnetic poloidal flux
surface.  Consequently, the polar areas show a sort of
"fluffiness" while the other areas show a sharp and smooth edge.
In fact the fluffiness of the uppermost polar region shows
erosion from convective currents.  The consequence of this is that 
the damn thing must have been there at least a couple of seconds
for this process to have come into full effect.

> ... as possible containment mechanism for nuclear fusion ...
> The problem really is that plasma is inherently unstable;
> its natural tendency is to undergo oscillations.  

Actually, oscillations don't make the system "unstable" unless
they grow in amplitude without bound (or beyond the containment's
ability to hold the plasma together).  Oscillations can be
be kept within bounds easily by operating the system in its
minimum energy configuration, using sheer, etc.  Since the 
confinement schemes for fusion and "ball lightning" contain 
magnetic fields, generating sheered field surfaces (rotation 
of one surface with respect to the other) will cause the return 
oscillatory wave to be displaced spatially, (walk).  As long as
this displacement  has a long repeat path, the oscillatory waves
will not grow rapidly.  Adjacent surfaces oscillate in different
directions so that the bulk plasma is dispersive.  

> Trying to contain plasma for very long seems to be fighting 
> Mother Nature.

What?  There is such a paucity of plasma in existence that isn't 
"contained" by "Mother Nature"  that this is actually kind of 
a funny thing to say, i. e.  ball lightnings are stable, as are
stars.   In fact fighting nature by "constraining " the plasma
from finding its minimum energy state, is "fighting nature".  We
fortunately have a half billion $ a year program at DOE Office of
Fusion (Confusion) Energy to do that for us.  And they do it well
with every possible effort.  When they find one that does it well
they really get busy, i.e. tokamaks and mirror.  

Don't be a sap!!!  Physics is the biggest collection of half baked
"understandings" that has ever existed.  And,  "plasma physics ???"
. .. come on they haven't even scratched the surface of understanding,
for a "science"  it has NOT been around long enough for them to be 
able to cut the umbilical cord.  When I was a kid these arrogant
bastards (lacking one parental unit during childhood) laughingly
referred to Aristole as a "crack pot" because he suggested " four
elements ---- earth, water, air, and fire", and   ha ha ha !! we
know of 92 (naturally occurring) elements.

Didn't occur to them he was discussing

	"states of matter"---   solid, liquid, gas, and plasma 

These jerks thought the sun was composed of a "very hot gas".


Bye for now.					Paul
Just enjoying needling the "taking of   P H Y S I C S   
				too seriously".

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| pmk@prometheus: (301) 445-1075			| FUSION | 
| Prometheus II Ltd., College Park, MD 20740-0222	|  this  | 
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| Prometheus II Ltd., College Park, MD 20740-0222	|  this  | 
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