Plasma

Introduction

History I

History II

Technical I

Technical II

Further

FAQs The Electric Universe Science and Philosophy Ancient Testimony Cutting Edge The Way Forward Latest News Video "Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts." Richard Feynman Astronomy and mythology for children The Playful Planets series teaches children about the planets of our Solar System, and some of the myths and legends associated with them in a simple, colourful, and fun way. The planet's personalities reflect their roles in myth and legend. For example, Mars is Mr Angry, the God of War; Veronica Venus the Goddess of Love and Beauty; Saturn is wise old Father Time; Mickey Mercury the mischievous messenger; Uri Uranus the magician, and so on. A great read for all inquisitive children, aged 3-9. Learning can be fun. Introduction Plasma Cosmology The purpose of this web site is to provide an introduction to the emerging Plasma Universe paradigm, and to explore some of the many far reaching implications. Mainstream science, for the most part, looks on the universe as electrically neutral and purely mechanical; a place where the weak force of gravity holds fort. Plasma Cosmology, by contrast, acknowledges the electrodynamic nature of the universe. Gravity and inertia are NOT the only forces at work. The history of science, of course, is fraught with controversy, and it is important to bear in mind that the situation today is little different. "A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it." Max Planck What is Plasma? Plasma is the fourth state of matter. It differs from solids, liquids and gases in so far as it's atoms are divided into free-floating 'negative' electrons and 'positive' ions (an atom which has lost its electron/s). It is sometimes referred to as an ionized gas. Students are generally taught about only three states of matter, and when Plasma does get a mention, little importance is assigned. Not only should plasma be added to the list, but the order should be reversed to put it in first place. The reasons for this will become clear. The term Plasma was borrowed from blood plasma in order to describe its almost life-like and self-organising properties. Plasma sometimes emits light when under the excitation of electrical and magnetic fields. Polar auroras bear witness to this fact. Where is it? Plasma is almost everywhere. At least ninety-nine percent of the known universe is, in fact, matter in its plasma state! The surface of the sun is plasma; not hot gas, which is quite a different thing. Plasma in space consists entirely of ions and electrons, and is thus very energetic or 'hot'. Only when cooled does it form the matter to which we are familiar here on Earth: solids, liquids, and gases. Because plasma remains electrically charged in space, it is influenced more by electromagnetic forces than gravity. In fact space, once considered mostly empty, has been found to be alive with plasma. Vast flows of charged particles have been discovered spanning hundreds-of-thousands of light years across interstellar space. The most familiar examples of electrical plasmas here on earth are neon signs and lighting, television screens, and electrical arc welding machines. Fire and Lightning are also forms of Plasma. What does it do? Just about everything! Plasma is an excellent conductor of electricity, and because of its free-flowing electrons its conductive properties far surpass those of copper and gold. Due to its interaction with electromagnetism, plasmas display a complexity in structure far exceeding that of matter in gaseous, liquid, or solid states. It has a tendency to form into cellular and filamentary structures. These structures derive from the fact that a charged particle flow (or current) produces a ring of magnetic fields around itself, 'pinching' plasma into multi-filamentary strands, as can be seen on both cosmic and more localised scales. Pictured right is a novelty plasma-lamp typical of those available on the high street. Mainstream misconceptions While conventional astronomy maps magnetism, electric currents are excluded on the mistaken basis that they are of no significance in space. Working from the inertia of this prior belief, astrophysicists have a tendency to talk in euphemisms. 'Electron rains' and 'clouds of ionized gas' are just two popular examples. From a conservative perspective these terms might seem easier to grasp than the behaviour of more ethereal plasma, but they are, nonetheless, obfuscations. In reality we are talking about electrodynamic phenomena. Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and carry on as if nothing ever happened." Winston Churchill It is important to understand that gravity based models were codified before space travel and high powered telescopes. Back then our galaxy, The Milky Way, was considered the entirety of the universe ... and electrically sterile! Instead of trying to shoehorn what we now see into old models, Plasma Cosmology respects the progress of the past, but is not constrained by it. Scientific theories, by definition, are vulnerable to being falsified. Science moves on. "It is an embarrassment that the dominant forms of matter in the universe remain hypothetical!" Jim Peebles The role of Plasma in The Universe Plasma cosmology has gone beyond hypothesis and analysis. There are problems with part three, of course, experimentation on universal scales, but the fact is that plasmas are highly scalable, and super-computing capabilities have enabled us to model plasma behaviours on galactic scales ... utilising only a few simple formulae. These models are consistent with reality. Big Bang cosmology, by contrast, fails to adequately account for the 'clumpiness' and filamentary structures that we observe. Plasma cosmology does NOT rely on abstract mathematical modelling or an increasing array of exotic hypotheticals like Dark Matter and Dark Energy! Neither does it claim to have all the answers, but the evidence strongly suggests it is asking the right questions. Were Sherlock Holmes a Cosmologist, he might have said 'It's Filamentary my Dear Watson.' "What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." Isaac Newton Back to the Future There is actually nothing very new about many of the ideas expressed on this site. At the beginning of the last century many leading scientists saw an improved understanding of Electromagnetism as the way forward for Astronomy and Cosmology, and also the direction most likely to offer a better understanding of gravity. Today, most textbooks dismiss such notions out of hand. It is often claimed that because EM can be shielded, and gravity cannot, they must be unrelated. Furthermore, the force generated by a hand held magnet is often described as insignificant when compared with the gravity of the entire planet. Well, it would be, wouldn't it, much as it would make no sense to compare the strength of a small child with that of a mature elephant. We are talking apples and oranges. Nonetheless, such nonsense is all too often trotted out by textbooks, while the usual talking heads are paraded on television. In the early 1900s science took a wrong turn. It is now a field dominated by mathematicians, not scientists, and as Hannes Alfvén — the father of Plasma Physics — has pointed out time after time, plasmas stubbornly refuse to follow the elegant laws of mathematics. "Physics is mathematical not because we know so much about the physical world, but because we know so little." Bertrand Russell Blogs and more "It is easier to fool someone than to convince them they have been fooled." Anon Some of my old blogs (in the guise of The Soupdragon) can be viewed here. www.thunderbolts.info is updated with fascinating plasma related news on a daily basis. The Thunderbolts Project - videos, podcasts, and so much more. Now the definitive channel for challenges to consensus science!