Display options
Cite
Ranada AF, Soler M, Trueba JL. Ball lightning as a force-free magnetic knot. Phys Rev E Stat Phys Plasmas Fluids Relat Interdiscip Topics. 2000;62(5):7181-90doi: 10.1103/physreve.62.7181.
Ranada, A. F., Soler, M., & Trueba, J. L. (2000). Ball lightning as a force-free magnetic knot. Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics, 62(5), 7181-90. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.62.7181
Ranada, et al. "Ball lightning as a force-free magnetic knot." Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics vol. 62,5 (2000): 7181-90. doi: https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.62.7181
Ranada AF, Soler M, Trueba JL. Ball lightning as a force-free magnetic knot. Phys Rev E Stat Phys Plasmas Fluids Relat Interdiscip Topics. 2000 Nov;62(5):7181-90. doi: 10.1103/physreve.62.7181. PMID: 11102074.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

Phys Rev E Stat Phys Plasmas Fluids Relat Interdiscip Topics. 2000 Nov;62(5):7181-90. doi: 10.1103/physreve.62.7181.

Ball lightning as a force-free magnetic knot.

Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics

Ranada, Soler, Trueba

Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Electricidad y Electromica, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.

PMID: 11102074 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.62.7181

Abstract

The stability of fireballs in a recent model of ball lightning is studied. It is shown that the balls shine while relaxing in an almost quiescent expansion, and that three effects contribute to their stability: (i) the formation in each one during a process of Taylor relaxation of a force-free magnetic field, a concept introduced in 1954 in order to explain the existence of large magnetic fields and currents in stable configurations of astrophysical plasmas; (ii) the so called Alfven conditions in magnetohydrodynamics; and (iii) the approximate conservation of the helicity integral. The force-free fields that appear are termed "knots" because their magnetic lines are closed and linked.

Publication Types