Re: RQ gap spacing theory question

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <acmq-at-compuland-dot-com.br>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "pjj by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<jjenkins-at-satx.rr-dot-com>
> 
> Lately we have been talking about plasma acs and the resistance of a
channel of
> ionized air.
> 
> The question i pose is how is the summ of all the gaps EQUAL to the total gap
> it seams to me once the 1st gap of 50 thousandths or so was broken down that
> channel stays open and the next it there for just another .050" or am i think
> outa line here.
> 
> In short i'm thinking the electrons are just leap froging from one to another
> only gapping one at a time till all are crossed then it discharges the
cap and
> quenches all and starts over

Remember that what happens first is the formation of an electric field 
strong enough to cause ionization in the gaps. The regular spacing of
the
gaps causes this electric field to be quite uniformly distributed along
all the gaps, at a value close to E=total voltage/total spacing.
Eventually, one of the gaps will ionize and conduct (at E~=30 kV/cm), 
suddenly increasing the electric field in the remaining gaps, that then 
ionize and conduct too, all almost simultaneously.

Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz