New Twist on Birkeland Currents

[StefanR]

Personally I think the term Magnetic Slinky is the best scientific term.

"You can think of this structure as a giant, magnetic Slinky wrapped around a long, finger-like interstellar cloud," said Timothy Robishaw, a graduate student in astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley. "The magnetic field lines are like stretched rubber bands; the tension squeezes the cloud into its filamentary shape."
Astronomers have known for some time that many molecular clouds are filamentary structures whose shapes are suspected to be sculpted by a balance between the force of gravity and magnetic fields. In making theoretical models of these clouds, most astrophysicists have treated them as spheres rather than finger-like filaments

http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases ... ical.shtml

[StefanR]

The LMC is the Milky Way galaxy's closest neighbor and, as a result, feels the effects of our galaxy's gravity. In addition, the LMC has experienced a variety of violent events, such as star formation and supernova explosions, which should disrupt a surrounding magnetic field. Scientists thus expected the magnetic field of the LMC to show signs of perturbation. Instead, they were surprised to find the field orderly and smooth. "It's like having a birthday party all afternoon for a bunch of four-year-olds and then finding the house still neat and tidy when they leave," remarks study leader Bryan Gaensler of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "Some powerful forces must be at work to keep the magnetic field from being messed up."

The team measured the LMC's magnetic field by observing how it affected radio emissions from background sources as they passed through it, a technique previously used on only two other galaxies, the Milky Way and one called M31. As to what is keeping LMC's field in order, a number of theories exist. The current front-runner, according to the researchers, is a process driven called a cosmic-ray driven dynamo, which requires vigorous star formation. Says Gaensler: "You could say this galaxy is thriving on chaos."

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=ast ... -chaotic-g

So maybe the magnetic slinkies have some ordering principles or even powerful forces keeping the magnetic slinky field from getting messed up. Now what could cause a magnetic field to do that?

[StefanR]

There are slinkies in whistler waves

Fig. 23. Characteristics of EMHD currents to a pulsed electrode in a uniform magnetoplasma. The current density lines form right-handed spirals due to the presence of both field-aligned currents and azimuthal electron Hall currents. The J-lines from the electrode penetrate a finite distance into the plasma before spiraling back to the return electrode in the back of the disk electrode. A current tube has been constructed from the measured data. It's enclosed current is conserved and the J-lines lie on its surface.



Fig. 14. Measured vector magnetic field of a whistler wave packet showing a 3D vortex topology as emphasized by the linked solenoidal and toroidal field lines [from Urrutia et al, Pulsed currents carried by whistlers. III. Magnetic fields and currents excited by an electrode (2.8 MB), Phy. Plasmas 2, 1100-1113 (1995). (Link to original publication).]


Fig. 13. Whistler wave ducting and filamentation processes observed in a large laboratory plasma. Schematic sketch at top shows that antenna-launched whistlers in a uniform collisionless plasma exhibit an amplitude decay due to beam diverge. However, a field-aligned density depression guides (ducts) the whistler wave resulting in a constant amplitude with distance. The density depression is produced by the radiation pressure and thermal effects of a large amplitude whistler. Bottom traces show measured interferometer traces of linear and filamented whistlers [from R. L. Stenzel, Filamentation instability of a large amplitude whistler wave (669 kB), Phys. Fluids 19, 865-871 (1976). (Link to original publication).]

http://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/phpB ... 3327#p3327

[StefanR]

Magnetic slinkies on the sun

http://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/phpB ... 075#p10075

Magnetic slinkies in the plasma lab

http://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/phpB ... 8010#p8010

Auroral magnetic slinkies

http://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/phpB ... 8666#p8666

Superconducting magnetic slinkies


Flux and temperature distribution produced by vortex dynamics simulations
White dots: individual vortices;
Red: regions of enhanced temperature due to vortex motion
Green: traces of recently moving vortices
http://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/phpB ... 4783#p4783

[StefanR]

The 'contraction', the 'squeezing together' of all the 'charge carries responsible for conductivity' in order to form the “current channel” or “vortex tube”. This, to me, sounds like an electric current. You have a situation wherein “charge carries” are evacuated from the surrounding area and 'constricted' to a “central channel”.

Also, seeming very important in relation to the Z-pinch mechanism, notice that “Besides the cylindrical structure {current channel/vortex tube) another structure can be expected. It is the sphere, which is the only form, which can withstand a powerful pressure if that acts equally from all directions of space.”

Meyl asserts that one is to think of “ball lightning”, the spherical structure that may may be produced and; the only form which can withstand the powerful pressure that acts equally from all directions of space. Harold Aspden calls it the “Thunderball”. We know that the EU, along with the IEEE, has an interest in this phenomena. It seems applicable/related/has implications to the Z-Pinch dynamic that produces stars, our Sun for example.

Found this in another thread:

http://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/phpB ... 2878#p2878

[Solar]

quoting M. Achelson:

...that the currents tend to form twisted pairs of filaments, called Birkeland currents,

Is what i was referring to, as opposed to a single conducting path or arc.
Guess i wasn't very coherent in my attempt at written English .

Ah I see, yes, twisted pairs due to Biot-Savart long-range attraction/short-range repulsion as opposed to the single "current channel". Good observational distinction you're noticing there.

Reminded me of Peratt's basic geometry of parallel Birkeland currents; summary here on page 3 of the .pdf "Evidence for Electrical currents in Cosmic Plasma" where:

Two parallel Birkeland currents [parallel singular "vortex tubes"/"current channels"] formed by the tendency of charged particles to follow magnetic lines of force B and to pinch due to their own induced magnetic field. Because of the magnetic-field aligned electric field E each filament is a double layer.

(my bold interjection)

I noticed Peratt used the term "magnetic ropes" in one of his papers . Maybe we shouldn't be so hard on the mainstream....

Nah!!

[Grey Cloud]

Stefan wrote:

Personally I think the term Magnetic Slinky is the best scientific term.

Why doesn't this surprise me? Wasn't it you who introduced us to electric bananas?

[MGmirkin]

Also, seeming very important in relation to the Z-pinch mechanism, notice that “Besides the cylindrical structure {current channel/vortex tube) another structure can be expected. It is the sphere, which is the only form, which can withstand a powerful pressure if that acts equally from all directions of space.”

Meyl asserts that one is to think of “ball lightning”, the spherical structure that may may be produced and; the only form which can withstand the powerful pressure that acts equally from all directions of space. Harold Aspden calls it the “Thunderball”. We know that the EU, along with the IEEE, has an interest in this phenomena. It seems applicable/related/has implications to the Z-Pinch dynamic that produces stars, our Sun for example.

Methinks you're here referring to a plasmoid? (To give it the terms that, I think, the EU uses.)

~Michael Gmirkin

[junglelord]

I am going to name my next pet, Plasmoid.

[Solar]

I am going to name my next pet, Plasmoid.

Hahaaaa... works for me.

Also, seeming very important in relation to the Z-pinch mechanism, notice that “Besides the cylindrical structure {current channel/vortex tube) another structure can be expected. It is the sphere, which is the only form, which can withstand a powerful pressure if that acts equally from all directions of space.”

Meyl asserts that one is to think of “ball lightning”, the spherical structure that may may be produced and; the only form which can withstand the powerful pressure that acts equally from all directions of space. Harold Aspden calls it the “Thunderball”. We know that the EU, along with the IEEE, has an interest in this phenomena. It seems applicable/related/has implications to the Z-Pinch dynamic that produces stars, our Sun for example.

Methinks you're here referring to a plasmoid? (To give it the terms that, I think, the EU uses.)

~Michael Gmirkin

Aye.

But you know what is interesting. There seems to be a difference between spherical plasmoids (considering the sun and other stars may be of such nature), Quasars (who knows what shape they actually possess), and the Milky Way's galactic center:

Milky Center (plasma-focused plasmoid-


Take a look at this spherical 'bead' in the electrical discharge/dielectric breakdown that accompanies lightning ("vortex tube"/electric current "channel") with sprites, Elves etc.


Perhaps the spherical aspect is proximal and owes it's characteristic to the surrounding glow when in actuality, for some, there exist toroidal aspects as well as amorphously globular. William Bostick appears to have found support for both:

Experimental Study of Plasmoids

His analysis reveals a writhing knot of electric currents, magnetic field, electric field etc that sometimes assumes a toroidal feature yet, sometimes not. Take a look at "A trip to Galactic Center" at the toroidal feature called the "circumnuclear disk" that accompanies the plasma-focused plasmoid of the Milky Way.

There are a lot of dynamics going on with electric current induced plasmoids and it would appear that the Z-pinch *may* (not exculsive though) more so produce spherical plasmoids, assuming stars here, so what might the globular/toroidal features be the result of? One would also have to take into consideration the nature of the plasma (their double layers, e-fields etc) within which the Birkeland currents interact.

[seasmith]

Stellar size, energy, brightness, spin velocity, and topology evolves
from small Spherical Orange Stars, with slow spin ...
(image)
to medium-sized Yellow Stars, with higher spins, which are spheroids
slightly flattened from pole to pole. [imaging sitting on a beach ball...
(image)
the brighter, faster spinning, White Stars are more flattened north to south;
while the the superbright Blue Superstars, are quite flat, like squashed pumpkins,
and spinning VERY VERY rapidly.
(image)
The brightest superstars, which covert astrophysics has mis-promoted as Black Holes,
are superluminally spinning disk SuperStars -- where the magnetic polar fields, and
radiation beams, are so strong that they have opened up as toroids, donuts, spinning
at greater than 300,000 kilometers per second!

from Millennium Twain Feb 25, 09

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Nucl ... essage/863

[Millennium]

kia ora, Dragon Smith!

imagine there has been an ElectroVerse of co-learning,
evolving, experience here at thunderbolts these many months past.

hope to get a chance to review much of it this spring. (gardens
and nurseries didst overwhelm me this year last ...)

singing permaculture, gaiaculture.

arohanui, enfolding love,

Millennium Twain
discoverer, superluminal proton topology,
publisher, Structure of the Atomic Nucleus,
designer, X49 Scramjet Spaceplane

[StefanR]

Below some links to circular field stuctures

11. EJECTION OF PLASMA TOROIDS FROM TWISTED FLUX TUBES IN ASTROPHYSICS

The purpose of this section is to show that in astrophysical gravity-confined systems, unstable twisted magnetic flux tubes are able to produce, through magnetic reconnection, helically twisted toroidal plasmoids.

The fate of these toroids is to expand and to be expelled from the generating gravity-confined parent systems. In this process the system is able to eject helicity and to shed a relevant magnetic flux, with a negligible loss of mass. These phenomena bear a strong resemblance to the formation of the plasma in PROTO-SPHERA, but occur at magnetic Lundquist numbers which are much larger (S≈108-1013) than the magnetic Lundquist number of PROTO-SPHERA (S≈105). Also the range of b at which these phenomena occur span a much larger range of values: b«1 in the solar corona, b≤1 in collapsing magnetized clumps inside giant molecular clouds and b»1 in protostar magnetized accretion disks. Nevertheless an accurate study of a laboratory plasma like the one of PROTO-SPHERA could provide useful information on some of these phenomena.

Another common feature to all these astrophysical systems is the presence of plasma motions in the form of torsional Alfvén waves (TAW). These waves act in many astrophysical systems (either being injected from the outside or being produced inside) as current drivers. As obviously there are no externally applied electromotive forces in the cosmos, the drivers are convective forces pushing the fluid, whose motion u deforms B, the deformed B creates VB and induces j.

http://www.frascati.enea.it/ProtoSphera ... hysics.htm

Moving Plasmoid and Formation of the Neutral Sheet in a Solar Flare
ABSTRACT
A spectacular erupting feature with a plasmoid-like structure is observed before and during the solar flare that occurred on the limb on 1991 December 2 with the Yohkoh soft X-ray telescope. The rise of a loop structure starts ∼10 min before the flare, evolving to a plasmoid-like structure in the impulsive phase of the flare. The speed of the rising loop (plasmoid) is almost constant (∼96 km s-1) throughout the observation. A clear X-shaped structure is formed underneath the rising plasmoid, and a bright soft X-ray loop is formed below the X-point. The X-shaped structure indicates a magnetic neutral point with a large-scale magnetic separatrix structure. Inverse-V–shaped high-temperature ridges are located above the soft X-ray loop and below the X-point. We interpret these as reconnected loops heated by slow shocks. A moving high-temperature (15 MK) source is found, coincident in position with the rising structure above the X-point. A hard X-ray source (33–53 keV) is located at the top of the soft X-ray flare loop. These two compact high-temperature sources located above and below the X-point would be formed by fast shocks due to the symmetric reconnection outflows both upward and downward from the X-point

http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/0004-637X ... .text.html

High-frequency slowly drifting structures in solar flares
Abstract
Radio emission of four solar flares with high-frequency slowly drifting structures is presented. Three sub-classes of these structures were recognized. It is shown that the April 15, 2001 X14.4 flare started with the slowly drifting structure associated with a plasmoid ejection observed by TRACE in the 171 Å line. The August 18, 1998 event presents an example of the drifting pulsation structure (DPS) which is well limited in frequency extent at both sides. A further example of the DPS, but followed by clouds of the narrowband dm-spikes, was observed during the November 23, 2001 flare. Finally, in the case of the April 12, 2001 flare, the drifting pulsation-continuum structure was recorded at the same time as the metric type II radio burst, i.e. in different frequency ranges. The slowly drifting structures were analyzed and in two cases their relation to hard X-ray emission was studied. Possible underlying physical processes are discussed assuming the plasmoid ejection model of eruptive solar flares.

http://www.aanda.org/index.php?option=a ... right.html

SWAP gathered these plasma observations just after New Horizons’ inbound crossing of Jupiter’s magnetopause, through closest approach and back down the magnetotail. The schematic at top shows the plasma disk near Jupiter and large plasmoids (colored) moving down the magnetotail past New Horizons. The five spectrograms below it cover the five intervals numbered in the schematic. In general, the magnetotail becomes more disturbed with increasing variability in ion flux and flow speed with greater distances.

http://www.swri.org/3pubs/ttoday/Winter07/Jupiter.htm

THE BALL LIGHTNING STATE IN COLD FUSION
1 Introduction
Ball lightning (BL) that is large enough to see is a rare natural phenomena. There is evidence that some natural ball lightning have been radioactive[1] or have left behind deposits that suggest that the BL transmuted elements. As described in this article, there is evidence of microscopic BL. There is no reason to suppose a size limit for BL.

Figure 8. Markings on Acrylite Sheets Set Outside of Discharge Device. From Fig. 5 of Ref. 7.
Figure 9. X-ray Film Outside (A, B) and Inside the Vacuum Chamber after Deuteron Irradiation in Glow Discharge. Fig. 3 from Ref. 8. The objects in Shoulders' experiments that he calls EVs behave in ways similar to BL. They are a type of BL.
Figure 10. Ring Mark in Witness Plate. This is a typical type of microscopic BL ring marking. Fig. 1 from Ref. 9.
Figure 11. Strike Marks on Lead Glass. EVs struck lead glass. These marks show the heatless motion of atoms. Though Shoulders tried to determine whether the apparent sloshing and relocation of the glass atoms was due to melting caused by heating from the objects that struck the glass, he reports that he found no evidence of heating of the glass. The atoms were repositioned in the anomalous manner described by B. Franklin. Fig. 7 from Ref. 9.
Figure 12. Impact Site of EV. Shoulders reports that x-ray analysis of this spot recorded many transmuted elements, mainly magnesium, calcium and silicon. The pit is about 7 or 8 micrometers across. Fig. 12 from Ref. 10.

At least four groups of researchers have reported that there is evidence that microscopic objects are associated with the transmutation and energy effects now studied by cold fusion researchers. Matsumoto and Lewis describe the objects as BL. Savvatimova wrote about finding evidence of markings like Matsumoto's BL markings. And Shoulders calls the objects he researches EVs. EVs behave like BL and are a kind of microscopic BL[2].
Photographs from these four researchers are shown in this article. The report of ball lightning activity, the discussion of ball lightning characteristics and effects, and the ideas and hypotheses presented here may help researchers recognize and utilize the ball lightning effects.

http://cust38.metawerx.com.au/iccf10bl.html

[seasmith]

.
StefanR wrote:

Personally I think the term Magnetic Slinky is the best scientific term.

Sortalike this, but with an additional spatial dimension ?



~

[StefanR]

Sortalike this, but with an additional spatial dimension ?

Yes, something like that. Maybe also with a pinch of this, but then minus the water as dielectric?


http://porpax.bio.miami.edu/~cmallery/1 ... iology.htm