Re: Side-wise Vectors?????

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Mike" <induction-at-comcast-dot-net> 

Hi John and All,
                           You are likely looking at Birkeland Currents. Do 
a Google search, there was a site called electric-cosmos dot org that had 
great pictures but it seems to be down. I found some links which I post 
here for you related to this effect.
I've seen this at low pressures in a 2 feet by 6 feet tube when driven with 
RF, also seen it driven with DC. Low pressure makes it easier because the 
breakdown voltage is so much lower, after ignition ~10 volts an inch. Also 
know of reports from other plasma people, RF driven smaller tubes than the 
one we have produced a twin spiral, reported it looked much brighter at or 
near the cross over points inside the vacuum.
I've seen it at 100 militorr, 1 Torr and 5 Torr. Outside reports have it at 
1 to 50 Torr in that RF driven example above. As you are looking at it sea 
level (760 Torr), the pressure required is not the issue but more, the 
voltage and magnetic environment levels. You don't get to "see" the current 
itself but you do get to see the photons from the ionized gas, so you do 
get to see the shape of the currents' path. See the links, some nice reading.
http://www.brainyencyclopedia-dot-com/encyclopedia/k/kr/kristian_birkeland.html

http://www.physicsforums-dot-com/archive/t-4014_birkeland_currents.html

http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wcurrent.html

http://public.lanl.gov/alp/plasma/elec_currents.htm
Regards,
                 Mike
----- Original Message ----- From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2004 7:25 PM
Subject: Side-wise Vectors?????


>Original poster: "john cooper" <tesla-at-tesla-coil-dot-com>
>All:  This is an old Q that won't go away, if electricity can escape, what 
>path will it take?  If it's a cork-screw like path, then which direction 
>will it take?  Of course the discharge will take the path of least 
>resistance, but why does it 'turn'?  Here's an interesting photo that 
>illustrates this:  http://www.tesla-coil-dot-com/images/1974_200.jpg, you can 
>see the twisted path that the two lower strikes take, both at about the 
>same time, maybe separated by 1/2 second (3 or 4 second exposure).
>
>Anyone that received my 1999 Christmas Card saw another photo of this on 
>the back of it that showed two strikes, one cw, the other ccw.  I think 
>Counter-Clock-Wise is the norm on this hemisphere.
>
>
>Cheers,
>
>John F. Cooper
>Irvine, CA
>www.Tesla-Coil-dot-com
>www.FrankensteinsLab-dot-com