Ball lightning Model (fwd)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:54:44 -0600
From: S&JY <youngs@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla List <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Ball lightning Model

This link is to a paper that proposes an explanation of ball lightning. 

 <http://www.springerlink.com/content/501k0653122j172u/fulltext.pdf>
http://www.springerlink.com/content/501k0653122j172u/fulltext.pdf       

Here is the abstract: 

"Despite numerous attempts, an adequate theoretical 
and experimental simulation of ball lightning still 
remains incomplete. According to the model proposed here, 
the processes of electrochemical oxidation within separate 
aerosol particles are the basis for this phenomenon, and ball 
lightning is a cloud of composite nano or submicron particles, 
where each particle is a spontaneously formed nanobattery 
which is short-circuited by the surface discharge 
because it is of such a small size. As free discharge-shorted 
current loops, aerosol nanobatteries are exposed to a powerful 
mutual magnetic dipole-dipole attraction. The gaseous 
products and thermal energy produced by each 
nanobattery as a result of the intra-particle self-sustaining 
electrochemical reactions, cause a mutual repulsion of these 
particles over short distances and prevent their aggregation, 
while a collectivization of the current loops of separate 
particles, due to the electric arc overlapping between adjacent 
particles, weakens their mutual magnetic attraction 
over short distances. Discharge currents in the range of 
several amperes to several thousand amperes as well as the 
pre-explosive mega ampere currents, generated in the 
reduction-oxidation reactions and distributed between all 
the aerosol particles, explain both the magnetic attraction 
between the elements of the ball lightning substance and the 
impressive electromagnetic effects of ball lightning." 

Perhaps this paper may give some of you a clue regarding how to perform some
experiments with a large Tesla Coil or Marx Generator to generate ball
lightning at will.  I would be interested in your opinions regarding the
validity of the proposed model for ball lightning.

Steve Y.