Ball lightning and other meteorological phenomena

Turner, D. J.

doi:10.1016/s0370-1573(97)00043-4

Cited by 28 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Introduction.-Ball lightning (BL) is a mysterious and rare phenomenon that has attracted the attention of scientists for centuries [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The features of BL are mainly based on the reports of eyewitnesses.…”

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confidence: 99%

Observation of the Optical and Spectral Characteristics of Ball Lightning

2014

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Observation of the Optical and Spectral Characteristics of Ball Lightning

2014

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“…It was repeatedly assumed, for example in [18,19], that the high electrostatic charge of lightning balls could play a major role in the existence of ball lightning. Equally we share this opinion, and in the present paper, we will examine the possible role electrostatic charge plays in the life of ball lightning, still assuming that ball lightning is a cloud of combustible aerosol particles that are exposed to a slow, predominantly electrochemical oxidation [20].…”

Section: About the Possible Magnitude And Polarity Of A Net Electrostmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The hydrated ions are extremely stable because of the huge electrostatic energy which keeps polar water molecules in immediate proximity to the central ion (the typical energies of complete dehydration of atmospheric ions can be ∼several electron-volts). Therefore the hydrated ions are a standard form of gaseous ions in the lower troposphere [8,18,27]. The charge-dipole interaction between gaseous ions and surrounding polar gas molecules is a powerful and long-range attraction, and intense hydration of gas ions caused by the ion-dipole attraction finds useful applications, for example for an effective operation of the Wilson chamber where gaseous ions generated by ionizing radiation act as condensation nuclei in order to visualize tracks of ionizing particles.…”

Section: Electrostatic Hydration Of Atmospheric Ions and Charged Aeromentioning

confidence: 99%

Charge‐Dipole Acceleration of Polar Gas Molecules towards Charged Nanoparticles: Involvement in Powerful Charge‐Induced Catalysis of Heterophase Chemical Reactions and Ball Lightning Phenomenon

Meshcheryakov¹

2010

Journal of Nanomaterials

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In humid air, the substantial charge-dipole attraction and electrostatic acceleration of surrounding water vapour molecules towards charged combustible nanoparticles cause intense electrostatic hydration and preferential oxidation of these nanoparticles by electrostatically accelerated polar water vapour molecules rather than nonaccelerated nonpolar oxygen gas molecules. Intense electrostatic hydration of charged combustible nanoparticles converts the nanoparticle's oxide-based shells into the hydroxide-based electrolyte shells, transforming these nanoparticles into reductant/air core-shell nanobatteries, periodically short-circuited by intraparticle field and thermionic emission. Partially synchronized electron emission breakdowns within trillions of nanoparticles-nanobatteries turn a cloud of charged nanoparticles-nanobatteries into a powerful radiofrequency aerosol generator. Electrostatic oxidative hydration and charge-catalyzed oxidation of charged combustible nanoparticles also contribute to a self-oscillating thermocycling process of evolution and periodic autoignition of inflammable gases near to the nanoparticle's surface. The described effects might be of interest for the improvement of certain nanotechnological heterophase processes and to better understand ball lightning phenomenon.

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“…It is argued against purely chemical models that chemical reactions cannot provide the reported high energy contained in BL. However, complex chemical phenomena have been used to model BL events, as in Turner [14], who underlines the importance of electrochemical processes in this task. Among the great variety of papers reviewed in Stenhoff's monograph, we mention here the early works of Smirnov [15].…”

Section: Chemical Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Riddle of Ball Lightning: A Review

Donoso

Trueba

Rañada

2006

The Scientific World JOURNAL

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One of the most intriguing and enduring scientific challenges is to find an explanation for ball lightning, the shining fireballs that sometimes appear near lightning strokes. Although many theoretical ideas have been proposed and much experimental work has been performed, there is not yet an accepted explanation of their amazing properties. They are surprisingly stable, lasting up to 10 s, even minutes in some rare cases. By night, their appearance can be spectacular, but their brilliance is just similar to that of a home electric bulb. Most of the time, their motion is smooth and horizontal, but it can also be erratic and chaotic; they can penetrate indoors through window panes. We review here some of the most discussed approaches, including both theoretical models to find an explanation as well as experimental efforts to reproduce them in the laboratory. We distinguish between chemical and physical models, depending on whether their stability is mainly based on their chemical composition or on purely physical phenomena involving electromagnetic fields and plasmas.

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Ball lightning and other meteorological phenomena

Cited by 28 publications

References 51 publications

Observation of the Optical and Spectral Characteristics of Ball Lightning

Observation of the Optical and Spectral Characteristics of Ball Lightning

Charge‐Dipole Acceleration of Polar Gas Molecules towards Charged Nanoparticles: Involvement in Powerful Charge‐Induced Catalysis of Heterophase Chemical Reactions and Ball Lightning Phenomenon

The Riddle of Ball Lightning: A Review

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