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Re: gas doping of discharge

Subject:  Re: gas doping of discharge
  Date:   Wed, 21 May 1997 07:59:23 -0400
  From:   "Thomas McGahee" <tom_mcgahee-at-sigmais-dot-com>
    To:   "Tesla List" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>



----------
> From: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
> To: tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com
> Subject: gas doping of discharge
> Date: Wednesday, May 21, 1997 1:03 AM
> 
> Subject:  gas doping of discharge
>   Date:   Tue, 20 May 97 14:07:23 EDT
>   From:   pierson-at-ggone.ENET.dec-dot-com
>     To:   tesla-at-pupman-dot-com        
>     CC:    pierson-at-ggone.ENET.dec-dot-com
> 
> 
> >  From:   "Thomas McGahee" <tom_mcgahee-at-sigmais-dot-com>
>  
> >> >Simplify the experiment. Instead of trying to fill the whole
room
> >> >with argon or whatever, just place a small lecture bottle
filled
> >> >with the gas of interest on top of the Tesla coil. Before
firing it up,
> >> >adjust the needle valve for a very SMALL amount of gas coming
out.
> 
> >>         Would it be easier to leave the bottle at the base, with
a
> >>         non conducting tube/pipe to the top?
> 
> >You must be kidding! The argon *gas* is gonna CONDUCT most likely
at
> >*these* voltages and frequencies.
>         More so than the gases in the air?
> 
> >I would imagine that the gas inside the non-conducting tube will
conduct
> >pretty well, too.
>         More so than the gasses in the air?
> 
> >I do not know if there is any danger associated with the gas
glowing
> >inside the tube, but I would be cautious until I knew otherwise.
>         I guess.  But argon is an inert gas.  Not like Hydrogen or
>         Acetylene or .....   8)>>
> 
>         regards
>         dwp

Sometimes the only way to find something out for sure is to rig up an
experiment and then *do* it. At the moment I do not have immediate
access to any bottled gases, so I cannot run the experiment myself.

I *do* know *this* however: several years ago one of my students was
experimenting with plasma globes and introducing different amounts of
various kinds of gases at different pressures, including atmospheric
pressure. The gas line used for some of the experiments was clear,
and with certain gases the clear gas line ALSO glowed when the high
voltage RF was turned on. As to how much current was flowing... I
really don't know. That was just a side effect of what we were
studying. At the time the effect was *noted* but not followed up in
any rigorous way.

Unfortunately I do not have the original notes on these experiments
in my possession, as the student who did the experiments requested
permission to take them with him when he graduated, and I gave him
permission to do so.

Fr. Tom McGahee