3.4 KiB
| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball lightning | 8/8 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_lightning | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T11:04:47.852283+00:00 | kb-cron |
Spinning electric dipole hypothesis. A 1976 article by V. G. Endean postulated that ball lightning could be described as an electric field vector spinning in the microwave frequency region. Electrostatic Leyden jar models. Stanley Singer discussed (1971) this type of hypothesis and suggested that the electrical recombination time would be too short for the ball lightning lifetimes often reported. Smirnov proposed (1987) a fractal aerogel hypothesis. M. I. Zelikin proposed (2006) an explanation (with a rigorous mathematical foundation) based on the hypothesis of plasma superconductivity (see also). A. Meessen presented a theory at the 10th International Symposium on Ball Lightning (21–27 June 2010, Kaliningrad, Russia) explaining all known properties of ball lightning in terms of collective oscillations of free electrons. The simplest case corresponds to radial oscillations in a spherical plasma membrane. These oscillations are sustained by parametric amplification, resulting from regular "inhalation" of charged particles that are present at lower densities in the ambient air. Ball lightning vanishes thus by silent extinction when the available density of charged particles is too low, while it disappears with a loud and sometimes very violent explosion when this density is too high. Electronic oscillations are also possible as stationary waves in a plasma ball or thick plasma membrane. This yields concentric luminous bubbles.
== See also ==
== References ==
== Further reading == Barry, James Dale (1980). Ball Lightning and Bead Lightning. New York: Plenum Press. ISBN 978-0-306-40272-2. Boerner, Herbert (2025). Ball Lightning: A Popular Guide to a Longstanding Mystery in Atmospheric Electricity (2nd ed.). Cham: Springer. ISBN 978-3-032-021632. Cade, Cecil Maxwell; Delphine Davis (1969). The Taming of the Thunderbolts. New York: Abelard-Schuman Limited. ISBN 978-0-200-71531-7. Coleman, Peter F. (2004). Great Balls of Fire: A Unified Theory of Ball Lightning, UFOs, Tunguska and other Anomalous Lights. Christchurch, NZ: Fireshine Press. ISBN 978-1-4116-1276-1. Coleman, P. F. 2006, "A Unified Theory of Ball Lightning and Unexplained Atmospheric Lights", J. Sci. Expl., Vol. 20, No. 2, 215–238. Golde, R. H. (1977). Lightning. Bristol: John Wright and Sons Limited. ISBN 978-0-12-287802-2. Golde, R. H. (1977). Lightning Volume 1 Physics of Lightning. Academic Press. Keul, Alexander G. "Investigating Ball Lightning Eyewitness Reports" in Ballester-Olmos, V.J. and Heiden, Richard W. (Eds.), The Reliability of UFO Witness Testimony. UPIAR, Turin, Italy (2023), pp. 77–93. ISBN 979-12-81441-00-2. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Seward, Clint (2011). Ball Lightning Explanation Leading to Clean Energy. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-4583-7373-1. Stenhoff, Mark (1999). Ball Lightning: An Unsolved Problem in Atmospheric Physics. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. ISBN 978-0-306-46150-7. Uman, Martin A. (1984). Lightning. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-25237-7. Viemeister, Peter E. (1972). The Lightning Book. Cambridge: MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-22017-0.
== External links == The Proof Is Out There: Unexplained Lightning Phenomenon Caught On Camera – History (via YouTube)