Physicists generate ball-lightning in the lab

User rating: 4.5 / 5 after 134 vote(s)

A ball-lightning-like plasma cloud is produced in an underwater discharge. (Photo: D. Lange IPP)
A ball-lightning-like plasma cloud is produced in an underwater discharge. (Photo: D. Lange, IPP)

Scientists in the joint study group of Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik and Berlin’s Humboldt University have generated ball-lightning in the laboratory - or, to be more precise, ball-lightning-like plasma clouds. The physicists produce luminous plasma balls above a water surface which have lifetimes of almost half a second and diameters of 10 to 20 centimetres.


Full story »
All News summaries from Physics news
All News summaries for June 06, 2006

New spintronics effect could lead to magnetic batteries

6 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Physicists have recently discovered that heating one side of a magnetized nickel-iron rod causes electrons to rearrange themselves according to their spins. This so-called "spin Seebeck effect" could lead ...

Ripple effect: Water snails offer new propulsion possibilities

Oct 09, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- A UC San Diego engineer has revealed a new mode of propulsion based on how water snails create ripples of slime to crawl upside down beneath the surface.

Spallation Neutron Source sends first neutrons to 'Big Bang' beam line

Oct 09, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
New analytical tools coming on line at the Spallation Neutron Source, the Department of Energy's state-of-the-art neutron science facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, include a beam line dedicated to ...

Cosmic strings might emit cosmic sparks, answer cosmological questions

Oct 09, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- For astronomers, understanding what happened in the early moments of the universe could answer many questions in physics and astronomy. One possible player in the early universe is cosmic strings, which arise ...

Scientists create superconducting thin films

Oct 08, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- One major goal on the path toward making useful superconducting devices has been engineering materials that act as superconductors at the nanoscale -- the realm of billionths of a meter. Such ...
Goto Archive PhysOrg Forum Goto Archive Video Goto Archive Editorials Goto Archive Free Magazines Goto Archive Newsletter

News Archive