Re: Seibt: Visualizing Standing Waves on a Resonator by Corona

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Original poster: "Jim Lux" <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 4:17 PM
Subject: Re: Seibt: Visualizing Standing Waves on a Resonator by Corona


> Original poster: Ed Phillips <evp@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> "A similar effect can be observed at higher frequencies too. See
> the classical experiment of the "Lecher wires". With enough voltage
> for excitation (connect the wires in parallel with spark gap), the
> effect appears as corona across the wires.
>
> Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz"
>
> Has anyone ever put enough power into a RF transmission line to
> actually see corona?  That would represent a lot of peak power.  VHF
> radar transmitter maybe.

Exactly so.. I've got a piece of coax somewhere that has blown up sections
every wavelength.

You can build a balanced open wire transmission line of fairly small wire
(so the corona voltage is low) and maybe that would work.

>
> I once tried to do something similar by placing a wave guide in a
> vacuum jar and back filling with neon.  Thought it might be possible to
> see standing waves and waveguide moding, but the impedance of the
> ionized gas was so low as to render the experiment unworkable.  A better
> experiment design might have worked.

We see this kind of thing in breakdown testing all the time, but typically,
it breaks down at the first place the voltage is high enough, and the
breakdown reflects all the power back to the source, so you only get one
arc.

>
> Ed
>
>