[Table of Contents]

Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 4, 046 (2009)

Letters


Ascent Velocity of Plasmoids Generated by Surface Discharges
Uwe WENZEL
Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik (IPP), Wendelsteinstr. 1, 17491 Greifswald, Germany
(Received 6 July 2009 / Accepted 27 August 2009 / Published 5 October 2009)

Abstract

The ascent velocity of long-lived plasmoids generated under atmospheric conditions to simulate ball lightning was estimated in [Fussmann et al., Phys. Unserer Zeit 39, 246 (2008) and Jegorov et al., Tech. Phys. 53, 688 (2008): Refs. 1 and 2 in the text, respectively], using a rigid sphere model with poor agreement with the experiment. The plasmoids were, however, deformed. Much better agreement is obtained using the Davies and Taylor formula, which describes the ascent velocity of large spherical-cap bubbles.


Keywords

ball lightning, plasmoid, ascent velocity, buoyancy

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.4.046


References

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This paper may be cited as follows:

Uwe WENZEL, Plasma Fusion Res. 4, 046 (2009).