Ball Lightning - An Unsolved Problem in Atmospheric Physics by Mark Stenhoff BSc MPhil (Lond) CPhys MInstP FRAS FRMetS (2002).pdf - Fizyka (różności) - morefaya2006

Ball Lightning

An Unsolved Problem in

Atmospheric Physics

Ball Lightning

An Unsolved Problem in

Atmospheric Physics

Mark Stenhoff

B.Sc., M.Phil. (Lond.), C.Phys., M.lnst.P.,

F.R.A.S., F.R.Met.S.

Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers

New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow

eBook ISBN:

0-306-47092-6

Print ISBN:

0-306-46150-1

New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow

Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers

New York

No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written consent from the Publisher

Created in the United States of America

Visit Kluwer Online at:

http://kluweronline.com

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Foreword: Ball Lightning

L Thus astronomy and cosmology continue to spring surprises in the form of

puzzling new objects in the depths of the universe. In the microscopic realm, particle

physicists have struggled to make sense of a plethora of subatomic fragments.

Finally, the burgeoning subject of complexity theory hints at deep linkages between

physics and biology, and touches on topics as diverse and bewildering as chaos,

turbulence, and even ecology.

We are so used to dramatic developments being concentrated in these three

frontier categories that it comes as a bit of a surprise to find an unexplained

phenomenon that falls outside of any of them. Ball lightning isn’t very large, very

small, or seemingly very complex, yet it has baffled some of the best investigators

in the business. Here, it seems, under our very noses, is the sort of mystery that

should have been solved a century ago, but wasn’t.

I have never witnessed ball lightning personally, but I have read many reports

of it and interviewed a number of witnesses. Although it can take a variety of forms,

a typical lightning ball is a glowing sphere a few centimeters across that floats across

ground for a few seconds before either fading away or exploding. Most alarming

of all are those cases where a ball is seen inside a room or even in an aircraft.

The bizarre nature of the phenomenon has led to a certain amount of neglect

in scientific circles. Some years ago it was common for scientist to pooh-pooh the

whole subject. Attempts were made to explain ball lightning reports away as optical

illusion, will o’ the wisps, or hoaxes. Today, however, the weight of evidence is

compelling that a genuine unexplained physical phenomenon underlies the majority

of sightings.

ooking back at twentieth-century science, one may discern three broad

frontiers of research—the very large, the very small, and the very complex.

Foreword: Ball Lightning

Hardest to understand is how such a large amount of energy can be confined

in a spherical form and remain stable for so long. Although estimates are rather

unreliable, some lightning balls appear to pack a lot of punch, and can cause serious

injury and damage. There have been many attempts to model ball lightning as some

sort of energetic glowing plasma trapped by suitably configured electric and

magnetic fields. Ironically, physicists have for years tried to confine hot plasmas

electromagnetically, in order to create a controlled nuclear fusion reaction that

might serve as a potential power supply. After 40 years of effort, their attempts are

still plagued by plasma instabilities. Yet if the reports of ball lightning are to be

believed, nature has found a way to create stable plasma balls without any sophis-

ticated equipment.

The phenomenon becomes really puzzling when the peculiar properties of ball

lightning are examined. How is a ball of plasma able to pass through a window pane

without disruption? Or glide down the aisle of an aircraft? Why should such a ball

shoot up a chimney, roll along electric power lines, or bounce along the ground?

What produces the curious hissing or sizzling sound reported in some sighting?

Mark Stenhoff is a physicist who has a long professional association with the

subject of ball lightning and related phenomena. He has personally studied a great

many cases and thoroughly researched the literature. In this book he provides us

with a welcome review of the phenomenon and the different theories put forward

to explain it. He relates some of the more startling incidents in a sober and

methodical fashion, and makes some useful suggestions for how our understanding

of the mystery can be advanced.

The subject of ball lightning falls on the edge of what we might call respectable

science. Because ball lightning has so far proved impossible to recreate in the

laboratory (aside from some very short-lived small balls), most of the information

available has been gleaned from eyewitness reports. Since members of the public,

when presented with an unexpected and alarming phenomenon, are notoriously

unreliable, it is hard to know how much credence to give the details of the reports.

Might the witnesses have exaggerated the size, duration, or brightness of the ball?

Could the reported damage have been caused by something else, like an associated

conventional lightning strike?

It must be remembered that untrained observers also report flying saucers,

ghosts, poltergeists, and alien beings. Are scientists supposed to take these seriously

too? Indeed, Stenhoff points out that some reports of unidentified flying objects

(UFOs) bear many of the hallmarks of ball lightning, so if the puzzle of ball

lightning is solved, then at least some UFOs may become IFOs (identified flying

objects). In spite of its slightly wacky overtones, ball lightning deserves to be taken

seriously. There can be little doubt that some interesting and as yet ill-understood

physical phenomenon is taking place, and we may learn some very interesting

physics by studying the reports more carefully.

Ball Lightning - An Unsolved Problem in Atmospheric Physics by Mark Stenhoff BSc MPhil (Lond) CPhys MInstP FRAS FRMetS (2002).pdf

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