[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: visibility of an arc



Original poster: Mddeming@xxxxxxx In a message dated 4/9/06 5:48:01 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, tesla@xxxxxxxxxx writes:
Original poster: "Langer Giv'r" <transworldsnowboarding19@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Hello, I've been wondering, how and why are we able to see the
electric arc that a tesla coil gives off?  I know that it is the
ionization of the air and shifting the air into a plasma, but how and
why do we see it?
Thanks


Hi Langer,

When the air is ionized by an arc or streamer from a TC, not all the electrons are stripped away from the atoms. In fact, most are not. They are, however kicked up several energy levels from their normal positions. As they drop back down these energy levels, they emit photons, the energy of each being unique to the specific level transition. Some of these are in the visible range. Thus, what we see is the visible range energy given off by the electrons returning to their normal state in the air molecules.

Matt D.