Production of ball-lightning-like luminous balls by electrical discharges in silicon.
We performed electric arc discharges in pure Si to generate luminous balls with lifetime in the order of seconds and several properties usually reported for natural ball lightning. This simple experiment does not rely on energy sources and excitation mechanisms that are improbable in the natural phenomenon and clearly demonstrates the role of vaporization and oxidation of Si, as proposed by the Abrahamson-Dinniss theory for ball-lightning formation.
Paiva
Gerson Silva
GS
Departamento de Química Fundamental, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50740-540, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Pavão
Antonio Carlos
AC
Alpes de Vasconcelos
Elder
E
Mendes
Odim
O
da Silva
Eronides Felisberto
EF
D004560:Electricity; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D004735:Energy Transfer; D008030:Lightning; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D055672:Static Electricity
D012825:Silicon