[en] A common laboratory facility for creating glowing flying plasmoids akin to a natural ball lightning, allowing a number of experiments to be performed to investigate the main properties of ball lightning, is described. (methodological notes)

[en] A model for ball lightning (BL) is described. It is based upon the vorton model for elementary particles, which exploits the symmetry between electricity and magnetism. The core, or driving engine, of BL in this model is comprised of a vorton-antivorton plasma. The energy of BL, which derives from nucleon decay catalyzed by this plasma, leads, through various mechanisms, to BL luminosity as well as to other BL features. It is argued that this model could also be a suitable explanation for other luminous phenomena, such as the unidentified atmospheric light phenomena seen at Hessdalen. It is predicted that BL and similar atmospheric luminous phenomena should manifest certain features unique to this model, which would be observable with suitable instrumentation

[en] The generation and evolution of power intensive Ball Lightning Objects (BLO) or polymer plasmoids in air were investigated. The experimental arrangement consisted of electric discharge gun (EDG), capacitor storage with energy stored up to 5.6 kJ, electron trigger, limiting inductance 100-1000 μH. EDG represented cone discharge tube 5 cm length, with cone opening 30-120 degrees. Inner wall was covered by candle wax. Diameter of tube outlet was 10-30 mm. Time of pulse was about 30 ms, its amplitude was not higher than 60 A

[en] The reality of ball lightning is attested to by observations reported in surveys of large populations, which are the subject of several books. These observations indicate that its characteristics may be relevant to fusion energy applications. Ball lightning can have a diameter up to several meters, a lifetime of over 100 seconds, an energy content in excess of 10 megajoules, and an energy density and a kinetic pressure greater than that of a reacting DT plasma. This paper reviews some of the properties of ball lightning which commend it to the attention of the fusion community, and it discusses some potential advantages and applications of ball lightning fusion reactors. 11 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

[en] Several hundred photographs of ultrahigh voltage discharges have been obtained that show closed current loops. These closed current loops may be precursors of ball lightning. One feature of these discharges may explain why observations of ball lightning may be infrequent; that is, there is a distinct threshold in voltage and/or current below which the closed loops do not occur. This threshold current fits other experimental data but is well above the usually observed currents in natural lightning. 10 refs., 3 figs

[en] Using the scale relativity theory, within the framework of a new selforganizing physical scenario suggested by laboratory investigation of formation and stability of self-consistent extended macroscopic space charge configurations, some properties of a ball lightning are established: the oscillation regimes, the hysteresis, the distributions of the electric potential, field and charge. (authors)

[en] The generation of a ball lightning-like complex structure by sudden injection of matter and energy proves the presence of a cascading self-organization scenario in an experimental device containing a collisional plasma. Based on these results, we suggest the possibility to replicate, under controlled laboratory conditions, the ball lightning-like structures with potential fusion applications. (author)

[en] Due to the nature that the force-free magnetic field, whose current carried by the conducting plasma is everywhere parallel to the magnetic field it generates, is the minimum energy configuration under the constraint of magnetic helicity conservation, ball lightning is considered as a self-organized phenomenon with a plasma fireball immersed in a spherical force-free magnetic field. Since this field does not exert force on the plasma, the plasma pressure, by itself, is in equilibrium with the surrounding environment, and the force-free magnetic field can take on any value without affecting the plasma. Due to this second feature, singular solutions of the magnetic field that are otherwise excluded are allowed, which enable a large amount of energy to be stored to sustain the ball lightning. The singularity is truncated only by the physical limit of current density that a plasma can carry. Scaling the customary soccer-size fireball to larger dimensions could account for day and night sightings of luminous objects in the sky

[en] In the fractal space-time theories, some properties of a ball lightning (BL) are established: the oscillation regimes, the hysteresis, the distributions of the potential, field and charge etc. In such a context, the Feynman-El Naschie hypothesis on the universality of the dipole-dipole interaction is confirmed and a connection between El Naschie's ε^(∼) space-time and Feigenbaum-Goldfain conjecture is given

[en] Ball lightning has been frequently observed and chance observations of it have been extensively documented by polling observers, who constitute perhaps 5% of the adult US population. Ball lightning is not accessible to scientific analysis at the present time, because it cannot be reproduced in the laboratory under controlled conditions. It has been extensively observed in atmospheric air, usually in association with thunderstorms, and by untrained observers who were not disposed to make careful observations. Ball lightning has been observed to last as long a 90 seconds, and to have diameters from one centimeter to several meters. The energy density of a few lightning balls has been observed to be as high as 20,000 joules per cubic centimeter, well above the limit of chemical energy storage of, for example, TNT at 2,000 per cubic centimeter. This suggests magnetic energy storage in a plasma-related phenomenon, which should be of great theoretical and practical interest to the plasma research community