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Re: A Puzzle




From: 	Richard Wayne Wall[SMTP:rwall-at-ix-dot-netcom-dot-com]
Sent: 	Friday, September 05, 1997 3:56 PM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: A Puzzle


9/5/97

Bert wrote:  

"A TC at its's first voltage peak may have NO current flowing into the 
toroid from the resonator."

Excellent!  Now, a little progress is being made.  Parenthetically, NO 
current flows with subsequent voltage peaks either.  The top 
termination is charged only with electrostatic energy by these peak 
voltages.  These quarter wave resonate coils are hybrid electrical 
translators.  They convert EM energy to ES energy.  And, only 
electrostatic electrical energy charges the top termination.  It is 
repetitive intense electrostatic fields that successively ionize gases 
in the spark channel.  Contrary to popular opinion, "current levels 
required to support streamer growth are in the multi-ampere range" are 
not required to form the ionization channel.  In fact, current, per se, 
does not cause ionization.  This is an outmoded EM concept.  Ionization 
of ambient gases around a TC is due to electrostatic energy.  

As others on the list have pointed out, there are environmental factors 
outside and adjacent to the TC which influence spark formation.  These 
factors regulate formation of the ion channel.   Electrostatic 
ionization of air molecules produces energetic charged particles and 
electrons which constitute the ion cloud.  Once formed, these charged  
particles may move under the influence of electrostatic fields.  
Current is produced only by movement of charged mass particles.  This 
is a very important EM concept.  These currents are usually local and 
are in response to movement of charged masses due to local 
electrostatic gradients.  It's a mistake to believe these ion induced 
currents are constantly moving back and forth and exchanged with the 
resonator.  Nor, do these secondary currents in the spark channel beget 
ionization and formation of the discharge channel.

RWW