Self-contained plasma?

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-04-12 06:01pm

Would it be possible to send electrons in an orbit about a column of positively charged plasma in order to contain it?

I realise that it would fail quickly, because the magnetic field created would quickly bleed off its energy into the confined column, but it COULD work, for a short time, couldnt it?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-04-12 06:07pm

kojikun wrote:Would it be possible to send electrons in an orbit about a column of positively charged plasma in order to contain it?

I realise that it would fail quickly, because the magnetic field created would quickly bleed off its energy into the confined column, but it COULD work, for a short time, couldnt it?

The Russians messed around with this for a while. I'll try to look up the reference if I get a minute or two.

Grand Admiral Thrawn · Post by **Grand Admiral Thrawn** » 2003-04-12 06:10pm

IIRC the Russians tried something to do with plasma as a kind of stealth system.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2003-04-12 08:17pm

I also heard the rusiians had a star wars equivalent, which instead of using lasers to shoot down enemy missiles, they used microwave tech, to superheat a section of air and guide that to the missile, or so i heard.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-04-12 09:02pm

Well, in the applications of weaponry, plasma seems a futile choice, but particle beams (charged ones) in atmosphere exhibit their own containment if powerful enough and make a nice column of ionised air to keep the beam steady. Still, best to superheat the air and evac it first with a laser to save energy in the main blast.

Queeb Salaron · Post by **Queeb Salaron** » 2003-04-12 09:18pm

Rye wrote:I also heard the rusiians had a star wars equivalent, which instead of using lasers to shoot down enemy missiles, they used microwave tech, to superheat a section of air and guide that to the missile, or so i heard.

::Shrugs:: Don't flares essentially do the same thing in dogfights? Or are we talking about surface-to-air missiles or something?

paladin · Post by **paladin** » 2003-04-12 09:23pm

Queeb Salaron wrote:
Rye wrote:I also heard the rusiians had a star wars equivalent, which instead of using lasers to shoot down enemy missiles, they used microwave tech, to superheat a section of air and guide that to the missile, or so i heard.
::Shrugs:: Don't flares essentially do the same thing in dogfights? Or are we talking about surface-to-air missiles or something?

Flares only distract heat-seeking missles by providing a higher heat source then an aircraft's exhaust. What they're talking about is shooting down a ballastic missle.

Queeb Salaron · Post by **Queeb Salaron** » 2003-04-12 09:24pm

paladin wrote:Flares only distract heat-seeking missles by providing a higher heat source then an aircraft's exhaust. What they're talking about is shooting down a ballastic missle.

Ah. Je le vois. Merci.

SWPIGWANG · Post by **SWPIGWANG** » 2003-04-13 07:18am

kojikun wrote:Would it be possible to send electrons in an orbit about a column of positively charged plasma in order to contain it?

I realise that it would fail quickly, because the magnetic field created would quickly bleed off its energy into the confined column, but it COULD work, for a short time, couldnt it?

How does it work? Electrons is not going to prevent positivie plasma from repelling each other and I can't think of a geometry that would excert similar force on each plasma particle. It might temparily isolate it from air, but overall it probably wouldn't do much as the plasma would busts the election bubble fairly fast.

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Self-contained plasma?

Self-contained plasma?

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