University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Spectroscopic Studies Of A Low-temperature Atmospheric Plasmoid Analogous To Ball Lightning

Dubowsky, Scott E.

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MJ15_Abstract.pdf
MJ15_Abstract.txt
MJ15_Presentation.pptx

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/50787

Description

Title
Spectroscopic Studies Of A Low-temperature Atmospheric Plasmoid Analogous To Ball Lightning
Author(s)
Dubowsky, Scott E.
Contributor(s)
  • McCall, Benjamin J.
  • Liu, Jui-Nung
  • Bhargava, Rohit
  • Deutsch, Bradley
  • Zhao, Zhangji
  • Perry, Richard H.
  • Peters, Kevin C.
  • Friday, David M.
Issue Date
2014-06-16
Keyword(s)
Analytical, Combustion, Plasma
Date of Ingest
  • 2014-09-17T16:54:54Z
  • 2015-04-14T18:40:17Z
Abstract
Atmospheric-pressure, low-temperature plasmas exist in nature in the form of ball lightning, and last year a natural ball lightning event was finally observed with scientific equipment.\footnote{Cen, J.; Yuan, P.; Xue, S. \textit{Phys. Rev. Lett.} \textbf{2014}, \textit{112}, 035001} Production of ball lightning in the laboratory dates back to Tesla's work at Colorado Springs.\footnote{Tesla, N. \textit{Colorado Springs Notes 1899-1900}; Marin\v{c}i\'{c}, A., Ed.; Nolit: Beograd, Yugoslavia, \textbf{1978}; pp 368-370} Today, Tesla's ``fireballs'' are easily produced in the laboratory by discharging kiloJoules of energy slightly above an electrolyte solution via a metal electrode.\footnote{Friday, D.M.; Broughton, P.B.; Lee, T.A.; Schutz, G.A.; Betz, J.N.; Lindsay, C.M. \textit{J. Phys. Chem. A} \textbf{2013}, \textit{117} \textbf{(39)}, 9931-9940} For the sake of clarity, those plasmas produced using this technique are referred to as ``plasmoids.'' Valuable information is obtained from previous experiments, such as the identification of water clusters and the temperature of the interior of plasmoids.\textsuperscript{\textit{c}} We perform mass spectrometry and Fourier-transform infrared emission spectroscopy in an effort to characterize these plasmoids. We present, to our knowledge, the first mass spectrometric data and infrared emission spectra of plasmoid discharges. Mass spectrometry reveals the presence of small protonated water clusters [H\textsuperscript{+}(H$_2$O)$_2$, H\textsuperscript{+}(H$_2$O)$_3$] and nitrogen-containing molecules [NO\textsuperscript{+}, NO\textsuperscript{+}-H$_2$O]. IR spectra exhibit signals observed in the water emission region (1300-2000 cm\textsuperscript{-1}, 3000-4000 cm\textsuperscript{-1}), and signals in several other regions of interest. Fundamental properties of these plasmoids including the electron energy distribution function, component densities, and collisional cross sections will be discussed.
Publisher
International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy
Type of Resource
text
Genre of Resource
Conference Paper / Presentation
Language
English
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50787
DOI
https://doi.org/10.15278/isms.2014.MJ15
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2014 by the authors. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Abstracts & Presentations - 2014 International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy PRIMARY