“Dense Plasma Focus” in Nature?

[Solar]

I have a longstanding quandary. Here are the speculations so that interested parties can follow the train of thought:

Part one: “Dense Plasma Focus”

Usually the bidirectional “dense plasma focus” manifestation is associated with scientist and the machinery that produces same. Here is 2009 document making comparative analysis of the “dense plasma focus” with astrophysical processes:

The origin, shape and dynamics of the ubiquitous barred-spiral galaxy remains an enigma for gravitational theorists who must resort to invisible dark matter to explain their origin and dynamics and an unphysical central black hole to power the jets issuing from active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Based upon the observation of spiral plasma forms in the laboratory, we propose the dense plasma focus (DPF) as a laboratory model of formation of barred-spiral galaxies and an AGN and its jets. - Dense Plasma Focus for Laboratory Astrophysics - H. R. Yousefi et al

A laboratory simulation of astrophysical processes is one of the intensively developed areas of plasma physics. A new series of experiments has been launched recently on the Plasma Focus type facility in NRC Kurchatov Institute. The main goal is to study the mechanisms of the jet stabilization, due to which it can propagate at distances much greater than their transverse dimensions. The experiments with stationary gas filling revealed regimes in which a narrowly collimated plasma jet was formed, the head of which was no wider than several centimeters at jet propagation distances of up to 100 cm. The PF-1000 (IFPiLM, Warsaw, Poland) and KPF-4 (SFTI, Sukhum, Abkhazia) experiments are aimed at creating profiled initial gas distributions to control the conditions of plasma jet propagation in the ambient plasma. Estimations of the dimensionless parameters, i.e. the Mach, Reynolds, and Peclet numbers which were achieved during the experiments, showed that the PF-facilities can be used for the YSO jets modelling. The future experiments, which can allow one to understand the nature of the stable plasma ejections observed in many astrophysical sources, are discussed. - Laboratory Simulation of Astrophysical jets within facilities of Plasma Focus type - Vyacheslav I. Krauz et al

Part two: Galactic Ejection Theory

In conjunction with the above there is something about Alton Arp’s diagram that has always made me curious.

Arp Diagram 1

Arp Diagram 2

With regard to Alton Arp’s theory why, or how, should it occur, that a preponderance of two distinct phases of resulting galaxy types occur at some distance along the “bipolar outflow”, or "jet", areas - Quasars and “companion galaxies” to one end, while BL Lac and X-Ray QSO’s occur at the other??

For the longest time my thinking on this has been that it may be related to “polarity” (north pole v/s south pole) along the “discharge axis”. Despite the fact that galaxies have magnetic fields I have not been able to find any information as to possible galactic polarity (+/-) configurations along the discharge axis perhaps where these objects (QSO’s BL Lac’s versus Quasars & Companion Galaxies) may eventually cluster and undergo further evolution. I don’t understand how one can have galactic magnetic fields and not have an extended (+/-) magnetic field polarity configuration to them.

Part three: Lightning

Turning now to Nature, at the smaller scale, perhaps naturally occurring Earth-based Lightning might provide a clue to some of this. One of the rather curious features of Earth-based lighting is called the “Bidirectional and Bipolar Leader” [Kasemir, 1960].

Why is that interesting? Because during a downward Cloud-to-Ground strike, or during an upward Ground-to-Cloud strike, another type of lightning can be initiated out of nowhere in “virgin air” near either of those previous two types of strikes. This is called the “Bidirectional and Bipolar Leader”.

Why is that interesting? Because as this particular form of lightning initiates from a central location (a “knot” is formed) and simultaneously propagates in two opposite directions at once (bidirectional). As it does so it establishes a positive polarity at one “end” of its newly forming channel and a negative polarity at the other. Oddly enough, while the intensity of the separate and distinct main channel is decreasing a Bidirectional and Bipolar Leader can be initiated to form at some distance away from the separate main channel and its negative end will eventually “connect” to the decaying path of main channel. This is the reverse of what is normally observed. Normally the observations reveal lighting to bifurcate (branching) off of the min channel. Here, the Bidirectional and Bipolar Leader form away from the main channel as a separate “knot” or “ball” which then extends its negative end to connect to the decaying main channel.

Why is that interesting? The propagating end that is negative “acts” completely different than the propagating end that’s positive. The negative end fans out with an array of small stepped leaders branching. The positive end simultaneously continues its path. As a result of high speed camera observations this particular type of lightning has changed the understanding of how lightning is initiated. The current understanding is that the “Bidirectional and Bipolar Leader” occurs BETWEEN two charged regions (like a stray “spark”). Once the "knot" forms the negative charged end propagates into the positively region of a storm - while the positively charged end propagates into the negatively charged region of a storm. In short Nature's lightning produces a charged lightning "ball" that appears to extend "jets" of lightning in two different directions according to polarity. Make sure to pay VERY close attention to the enlarged video inset and see:

The Initiation and Growth of Lightning - ZT Research (video included)

Observations of bidirectional lightning leader initiation and development near positive leader channels - Tom A. Warner et al

Despite high speed observations it is as yet unknown how the the initially separate and distinct “knot” of the "Bidirectional and Bipolar Leader" actually forms. Looking to Nature, the speculations being offered is that this fleeting, yet powerful, effect *might be* Nature’s version of the bipolar (and bidirectional) “dense plasma focus” with celestial objects serving as the foci.

Compared to the diagrams of Halton Arp’s galactic ejection of Quasars, QSO, BL LACs etc along the axis; and in conjunction with comparisons of the Dense Plasma Focus with astrophysical "jets" - is it possible that the fleeting Earth-based “Bidirectional and Bipolar Leader” might serve as an example of this effect?

[StefanR]

Hi Solar,

An interesting phenomenon I wasn't aware of, but at the same time it reminded me of the
old Superconducytivity -thread:
http://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/phpB ... ?f=8&t=518

What reminded me was the occurance of propagating dendrites/flux lines observed in superconducting film.
But that it is vortices that are the things moving and the channels the things formed by them.

Type-II Superconductors and Vortices
It has been known that when a magnetic field is applied to some superconductors, so-called "Type-II Supercondutors", a quantized magnetic flux penetrates into the matter. This flux suppresses the superconductivity locally, and the current flows round the flux line. This is called the "Vortex".

Bound States around a Vortex
Around the vortex, the superconductivity, namely, the superconducting pair potential is suppressed, and this potential works as if it is a kind of quantum well. Quasiparticles are bounded in the vortex. There exist excitations at the vortex. Then, the vortex has been traditionally considered to be a Core of the Normal State. This normal-core picture of the vortex is, however, correct only for "dirty" superconductors, which heavily contain impurities or defects.

Hess's Success of STM observation of Vortices
In 1989, Hess et al. first succeeded in observing the bound states, namely, local density of states (LDOS), around a vortex with Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 62, 214 (1989)]. They revealed true electronic structure of the vortex in a clean type-II superconductor, 2H-NbSe2. An existence of a striking zero-bias peak at the vortex center was found by Hess et al.

Splitting of the Zero-bias peak
Motivated by Hess's successful experiment, several theoretical works were done. A theoretical group of Shore, Huang, Dorsey, and Sethna predicted that the zero-bias peak should split into two, if STM spectra are taken at some distance from the vortex center along a radial line [Phys. Rev. Lett. 62, 3089 (1989)]. The splitting indicates that the bounded quasiparticle around a vortex has a dispersion relation between its angular momentum and energy. The theoretical prediction was actually confirmed by later experiments by Hess. The zero-bias peak and its splitting along a radial line show that the vortex has rich internal electronic structure. The naive normal-core picture of vortices does break down in clean type-II superconductors.

Star-shaped Local Density of States
Hess's beautiful STM experiments further revealed very exciting properties of vortices. They found that the LDOS around the vortex is shaped like a "star" at a fixed energy and its orientation is dependent on the energy, that is, the sixfold star shape rotates as the bias voltage varies [Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 2711 (1990)]. Soon after this observation, Gygi and Schlueter proposed an explanation for this rotation of the star-shaped LDOS [Phys. Rev. Lett. 65, 1820 (1990)]. On the basis of a sixfold perturbation, they explained that the lower and higher energy stars are interpreted as bonding or antibonding states. However, while they explained certain aspects of the observation, some features of the star-shaped LDOS observed in later STM experiments could not be sufficiently understood by this perturbation scheme.
ImageImage

http://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/phpB ... =518#p4784


So is something similar formed? So that before the bidirectional configuration formed by 'travel', that by some non-directional or omni-directional
field collapse at first such a vortex kind of expression occurs? Where in the superconducting film a vortex penetrates from the edges there is a
inverted situation taking place from a certain 'center'? Or maybe any kind of 'impurity' in de ionised air, maybe a dust speck is sufficient, is the
launching point of the initial collapse?

[Solar]

Hi Solar,

An interesting phenomenon I wasn't aware of, but at the same time it reminded me of the
old Superconducytivity -thread:
http://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/phpB ... ?f=8&t=518

What reminded me was the occurance of propagating dendrites/flux lines observed in superconducting film.
But that it is vortices that are the things moving and the channels the things formed by them.
(...)
So is something similar formed? So that before the bidirectional configuration formed by 'travel', that by some non-directional or omni-directional
field collapse at first such a vortex kind of expression occurs? Where in the superconducting film a vortex penetrates from the edges there is a
inverted situation taking place from a certain 'center'? Or maybe any kind of 'impurity' in de ionised air, maybe a dust speck is sufficient, is the
launching point of the initial collapse?

Hello StefanR. There may be something to that. Unfortunately there are no higher resolution images of high speed lightning recordings that can resolve what might be millimeter, sub-millimeter, or nanosecond scale activity during the fleeting moment of the initiation of the bipolar lightning leader.

Sunspots are quite ‘vortex’-like. Here is a collage of six images from an Astronomy Club showing:

Sunspot Emergence (notice the "lines of flux")

One could assert that there appears to be far more radially active “lines of force” around the sunspot that diverges towards the lower left - than for the sunspot diverging towards the right. That feature might also infer asymmetric behavior; perhaps based on polarity like the bipolar leader. Nonetheless the “lines of force” progression in those images is interesting as the sunspot emergence becomes bidirectional and bi-headed from a central region. The images also appear to show a ‘connective channel’ along the length between them.

An even more dramatic example of this ("propagating dendrites/flux lines" through a medium concept?) is available via this Hinode 10th Anniversary video collage. It happens really quick. Here is approximately 8 seconds of:

Hinode Sunspot Divergence

In relation to the bidirectional bipolar leader of Earth based, as to whether or not 'something is formed', it *appears* (at least to me) that something does form. In the earlier referenced doc see Figure 1 on the third page:

Observations of bidirectional lightning leader initiation and development near positive leader channels: Tom A. Warner , Marcelo M. F. Saba

Observation #1: Row 1: left-to-right: (1a), (1b), (1c), (1d) Filmed 1-16 July 2009
Observation #2: Row 2: left-to-right: (2a), (2b), (2c), (2d) Filmed 2-6 July 2011
Observation #3: Row 3: left-to-right: (3a), (3b), (3c), (3d) Filmed 3-28 May 2013

For each of those three different occasions notice what exist in JUST the very first images of each separate case (1a), (2a), (3a). In the very first image for each separate case the “Initiation” arrow points to an object, a “spot”, or “ball”. Said object is easily seen in (2a) and (3a); you have to zoom in on (1a) to see the same type of very small “knot” just above the lightning channel; and the space between where the “Initiation” arrow is pointing.

Figure 1: Row 3 corresponds with the video on this page: The Initiation and Growth of Lightning

Might those objects be plasmoids, “ball lightning”, a central object analogous to the “dense plasma focus”? In each case the bidirectional bipolar leader appears to be initiated from (or around) those initial objects.

[StefanR]

The following paper seems to propose something :

4. Discussions The bidirectional concept for the initial and sustained propagation of lightning leaders has been widely accepted, and many VHF source loca-tion studies have provided abundant evidences of this (Proctor et al., 1988; Rison et al., 1999). However,direct optical observations showing the inception of lightning leaders from virgin air are quite rare. The most important reason is that leaders, which start in virgin air, generally occur deep inside the cloud, making ground‐based optical imaging difficult to achieve. In the recent reports of Montanyà et al. (2015) and Warner et al. (2016), similar BLs with evident asymmetric patterns at the opposite ends (similar to the ana-lysis above), were considered to be initiated from virgin air. The bileaders here had relatively slow propaga-tion velocities, and the negative ends showed obvious branched zigzagging behavior, both indicating that they were not tracing well‐preconditioned paths. However, this does not exclude the possibility that the initiation area of the BLs may have once been affected by weak positive breakdown with no measureable luminosity. Examining the entire upward flash, the region marked as area 2in Figure 5a is delineated,because abundant recoil leaders occurred there. The integrated image illustrates that these recoil leaders failed to connect to the main positive leader channel. In fact, the preconditioning process resulting in these recoil leaders were not captured by the camera, probably due to the fact that they were too weak to be imaged or they were just cold processes without visible light emission. Similar processes could well be happening prior to the faint dots showing up at the beginning of the BLs, as shown in Figures 1–3. In particular, weak positive breakdown or coronal spray could be emanating from the conducting channel out into the dot loca-tions that were not detected by the video camera.

Development of Side Bidirectional Leader and Its Effecton Channel Branching of the Progressing PositiveLeader of Lightning - Yuan et al.https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sh ... htning.pdf

So either there is still a difficult to image precursor activity that precedes the dot appearance, or the dot is the first thing "in virgin air". But even
the latter option has to be initiated by a field proces taking place near the older positive leader. I have to get a little more acquainted with
this bidirectional process, but it is intriguing.

[Solar]

The following paper seems to propose something :

4. Discussions The bidirectional concept for the initial and sustained propagation of lightning leaders has been widely accepted, and many VHF source loca-tion studies have provided abundant evidences of this (Proctor et al., 1988; Rison et al., 1999). However,direct optical observations showing the inception of lightning leaders from virgin air are quite rare. The most important reason is that leaders, which start in virgin air, generally occur deep inside the cloud, making ground‐based optical imaging difficult to achieve. In the recent reports of Montanyà et al. (2015) and Warner et al. (2016), similar BLs with evident asymmetric patterns at the opposite ends (similar to the ana-lysis above), were considered to be initiated from virgin air. The bileaders here had relatively slow propaga-tion velocities, and the negative ends showed obvious branched zigzagging behavior, both indicating that they were not tracing well‐preconditioned paths. However, this does not exclude the possibility that the initiation area of the BLs may have once been affected by weak positive breakdown with no measureable luminosity. Examining the entire upward flash, the region marked as area 2in Figure 5a is delineated,because abundant recoil leaders occurred there. The integrated image illustrates that these recoil leaders failed to connect to the main positive leader channel. In fact, the preconditioning process resulting in these recoil leaders were not captured by the camera, probably due to the fact that they were too weak to be imaged or they were just cold processes without visible light emission. Similar processes could well be happening prior to the faint dots showing up at the beginning of the BLs, as shown in Figures 1–3. In particular, weak positive breakdown or coronal spray could be emanating from the conducting channel out into the dot loca-tions that were not detected by the video camera.

Development of Side Bidirectional Leader and Its Effecton Channel Branching of the Progressing PositiveLeader of Lightning - Yuan et al.https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sh ... htning.pdf

So either there is still a difficult to image precursor activity that precedes the dot appearance, or the dot is the first thing "in virgin air". But even
the latter option has to be initiated by a field proces taking place near the older positive leader. I have to get a little more acquainted with
this bidirectional process, but it is intriguing.

Excellent reference.

Figure 4: Yuan et al: Fast antenna electric field data

Imho the E-Field/VHF trace shows something. Use the Initiaion phase and the Conneciton phase to divide the overall trace shown in Panel (a) into three different sections. Notice what the E-Field is doing.

Start Trace:
1- Between the start of the trace and the Initiation event the E-Field increases.

Initiation Event
2- Between the Initiation event and leading up to the Connection event the E-Field cruises at a slightly lower V/m than it was before Initiation event.

Connection Event
3- Between the Connection event and the end of the trace the E-Field is even lower than it was between the Initiation and Connection event. It is definitely lower that it was between the beginning of the trace and the Initiation event.
End Trace

The production of VHF EM radiation is broadly following this pattern. VHF is increasing as E-Field decreases. Between these two events some of the E-Field is being 'absorbed' and converted into VHF radiation (radio).

Panel (b) centers on the Initiation phase: definite peak convergence, to me, equate with definite moments of E-Field to VHF conversion
Panel (c) centers on the Connection phase: definite "bipolar E-Field correlating with definite VHF production at higher voltage than Initiation phase.

Notice that no “matched initiation pulses” were found for BL2 & Bl3. The trace is 'imaging' the subtle precursor rise in the E-Field so it would qualify as a "cold processes without visible light emission". So that initial rise in the E-field is a part of field processes taking place beforehand. Between the Connection event and end of the trace the E-field takes the subtle concave shape of a 'U' as if it is tending back toward background 'norm' when the trace began.

Objects for E-Field to center on:

Some of the papers dealing with this mention “Hydrometeors” as possible objects for the E-Field to center on and ionization to consume. Anything from individual dust grains, accumulated regions of dust,”virgin” air pockets, pollutants (impurities) etc will do to explain the initial slight E-Field increase in the trace just before the Initiation phase. Lightning spectra might be interesting in this regard.

[Solar]

A couple of things

Point one:
It needs to be brought to mind that lightning detection networks can have detectors at some distance away from a storm. So e/V detection can seem low but the reading is relative to distance of detector(s). For the paper referenced in the above two post (Section 2) the camera was located 9.9km (5mi) from one of the observed upward flashes, the VHF antenna was located 8.9km, the S-band radar was at 19km (11mi).

Point two:

There are nine similarities between DPF and Lightning on my bucket list of speculative comparisons. One of the similarities is scalability (plasma can often scale). This feature was also covered in the above paper in Section 1. In that section is mentioned that the bidirectional feature (the ability to simultaneously propagate in opposite directions itself) “was also found in subprocess” . A bit later in the same section it is noted that three of the BL’s had “different spatial scales” (similarity in behavior regardless of size and/or extent).

Point three:

These bidirectional bipolar leaders can have any orientation; any size. Thats why Eric Lerner compared the DPF as being “a pulsar in a jar”. This current discussion is centered on observations between the cloud base and the ground where bidirectional leaders seem to occur most frequently not too far from a decaying positive channel. This would seem to infer that the decaying positive channel induces them. But again its the “bidirectional bipolar simultaneous emission in two different directions that is interesting”

However, bidirectional discharge phenomena can also occur vertically above the thunderstorm as an aspect Transluminous Events (TLE’s) such as with Sprites some 30-50 miles up. Lightning Sprites also display bidirectional phenomena and possesses central dense plasmoid-like “knots” with one end of the discharge (“tendrils”) pointing towards earth and the top end pointing towards space - and likewise the two ends “act differently”.

So, taking the evidence suggesting that there may be “cold processes” that apparently involves an increase in E-Field as precursor to the induction of these BL phenomena here is some of the latest info. April 2nd, 2018 ESA launched Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) module to monitor lightning. The unit was successfully attached to the ISS. Data became available DEc 2019. Here is link to publications page. Click on the year, highlight title of any paper, put into Google to see if it's available (some papers are linked; some are not).

Lightning Research Group

One of their very first papers is available in full here:

Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are transient gamma-ray emissions from thunderstorms, generated by electrons accelerated to relativistic energies in electric fields. Elves are ultraviolet and optical emissions excited in the lower ionosphere by electromagnetic waves radiated from lightning current pulses. We observe a TGF and an associated Elve using the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor on the International Space Station. The TGF occurs at the onset of a lightning current pulse that generates an Elve, in the early stage of a lightning flash. Our measurements suggest that the current onset is fast and has a high amplitude, a prerequisite for Elves, and that the TGF is generated in the electric fields associated with the lightning leader.A terrestrial gamma-ray flash and ionospheric ultraviolet emissions powered by lightning - Torsten Neubert, Nikolai Østgaard, Victor Reglero et al

My question, in relation to this speculation, is: When you see a lightning leader emerge from the bottom of a cloud, is that lightning leader only one half of a bipolar "knot" with its accompanying glow inside the cloud cover??

DPF works by "pulsing". This document refers to events occurring within the cloud cover as short (~50us) “positive energetic in cloud pulses (+EIP)” associated with “leader activity”. Theories of cosmic rays and hydrometeors etc as “seed” to induce the “runaway regime” abound. The paper also notes that the nature of what might be going on with the E-Field is still in debate. Cloud cover is obscuring the central dynamic. If you go to the ASIM main page and watch the short video immediately at the top of same you’ll see something in detail that you’ve probably not seen before; a Blue Jet filmed from above in 2015 by ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen:

Atmosphere–Space Interactions Monitor

Also see:

Jet Lightning! Cloud Cam Spots Rarely Seen 'Gigantic Jets'

Blue Jet (Transient Luminous Event) - Thunderstorm Darwin 8th Dec 2015

Are they just 'one bolt'? Or, are they actually "bidirectional" with a glowing plasmoid-like "knot" obscured within the clouds while the other 'side' of the discharge manifest as cloud-to-cloud and/or cloud-to-ground lightning? Its as if the perspective may have only been looking at half the picture of lightning.

[Solar]

Here is an example of the Cosmic version of what I speculate might be occurring somewhere within storm clouds - between regions of opposite electric potential - under the name of “bipolar bidirectional leader” - as that which initiates lightning. This formation:

Radio Galaxy PKS B1545-321

Radio Galaxy 3C 236

Referencing again…

The Initiation and Growth of Lightning

… and the moment the bipolar leader forms via the appearance of (what appears to be) a central “plasmoid” in “virgin air” and noting the way it simultaneously extends bidirectionally. What is not observed? In both astrophysical examples the those regions of different electric potential (“molecular clouds”) are not seen. With lightning, from this moment positive charge then propagates into the negative region; negative charge then propagates into the more positive region.

Now for something interesting; a peek inside a plasmoid. Here is a paper from Mr. Lerner’s Fusion website:

Using a dense plasma focus device with a 50 kJ capacitor charge, we have observed fusion reactions from deuterium ions with record energies of >150 keV that are confined for durations of 7-30 ns in the cores of plasmoids with typical radii of 300-500 m and densities ~3 x 1019 cm -3 . We have for the first time simultaneously imaged the plasmoid at high (30 m) resolution and measured trapped ion energy and neutron anisotropy. The isotropy of the neutron emission as well as other observations confirms that the observed neutrons per pulse of up to 1.5 x 1011 are produced mainly by confined ions, not an unconfined beam. The conditions achieved are of interest for aneutronic fusion, such as with pB11 fuel. - Fusion reactions from >150 keV ions in a dense plasma focus plasmoid

A good read. Draw attention to page number 7, read Section E, and observe image labeled “6a”. Inside the glowing plasmoid core is a tiny on axis formation “consisting of a coil of plasma filaments”. The 'structure' resembles a tiny knotted “Solenoid” with an even smaller “spheroid” in the middle. Why is that interesting?

When the magnetic field tends towards zero the electric field can increase. Consider these snippets:

“a type of electromagnet, the purpose of which is to generate a controlled magnetic field through a coil wound into a tightly packed helix.
(…)
In engineering, the term may also refer to a variety of transducer devices that convert energy into linear motion” - Solenoid: Wikipedia

Perhaps I'm seeing things but why do I get the impression that there is a tiny solenoidal on axis knotted filament with central plasmiod inside the glow of a DPF, which then, *might be* an orders of magnitude smaller replica of what what occurs with bipolar leaders in lightning, which then *might be* an orders of magnitude smaller version again - of those insanely large 'knotted along their length' Cosmic Radio Sources - with central plasmoidial formations (Pulsars, AGN "jets")??

The relationships have the appeal of a "Self Similar Fractal Universe".

[raytek2009]

Thanks for the links. I think ARP and the lightning research may be missing the larger energy source (and constraint) which is long inductive paths which have circuit energy at 1/2 L*I^2. There is also magnetic energy available around the path as the volume integral of magnetic flux. Looking for how field volumetric energy densities may be tapped by “cutting” or “linking” flux due to leader structure formation may give some guidance.

[Michael Mozina]

Thanks for the links. I think ARP and the lightning research may be missing the larger energy source (and constraint) which is long inductive paths which have circuit energy at 1/2 L*I^2. There is also magnetic energy available around the path as the volume integral of magnetic flux. Looking for how field volumetric energy densities may be tapped by “cutting” or “linking” flux due to leader structure formation may give some guidance.

One of the things that Alfven commented on was the fact that plasma, and the behaviors of plasma essentially "scale" very nicely up to every energy state that we mere humans might hope to experiment with here on Earth and inside of our solar system, and galaxy.

In his book Cosmic Plasma, Alfven compared the term "magnetic rope" to a high energy discharge "Bennett Pinch" in plasma.

"However, in cosmic plasmas the perhaps most important constriction mechanism is the electromagnetic attraction between parallel currents . A manifestation of this mechanism is the pinch effect, which was studied by Bennett long ago (1934), and has received much attention in connection with thermonuclear research . As we shall see, phenomena of this general type also exist on a cosmic scale, and lead to a bunching of currents and magnetic fields to filaments or `magnetic ropes' . This bunching is usually accompanied by an accumulation of matter, and it may explain the observational fact that cosmic matter exhibits an abundance of filamentary structures (II .4 .1) . This same mechanism may also evacuate the regions near the rope and produce regions of exceptionally low densities."

.