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Re: Ions
Hi all,
dwp (name?) wrote....
> On the lifetime of ions, an odd observation.
> It is not exactly obvious, but ionization can persist for some time. One
> oddity, not exactly tesla, but curious:
> when a common incandescent lamp fails, sometimes the bulb will emit
> a dim blue glow, persisting for seconds to 10s of seconds. I ASSume
> this to be an example fo long term decay of ionization.
>
> (I have tried (not very hard) to replicate this by firing into the
> lamp with a small coil, without cuccess.)
> (One could likely replicate by disconnecting the variac from the
> coil, and using it to overvolt some light bulbs...)
> The effect is NOT 'persistence of vision' (chemical overload of the
> retina), as the lamp glows, not a fixed area on the retina. The
> light can (dimly) > illuminate other objects.
I have replicated exactly this. Hold the bulb by the base and let
a coil or Van de Graaf discharge to the envelope (single shot ideal).
You get a swirling blue cloud drifting around in the bulb for a
second or two. Needs a dark room to see it.
Malcolm