Ball Lightning The Great Hopes and the Great Fears
نویسنده
چکیده
The phenomenon of ball lightning still remains one of the greatest mysteries in the field of the plasma science and electromagnetism. Despite enormous contemporary advancements into the micro-world – the structure of elementary particles, nuclei, atoms, and the origin, evolution, and structure of the universe, the natural phenomenon of ball lightning, which literally appears right in front of our eyes during a storm or in electrical appliance in our houses, still remains baffling. But why this interesting phenomenon failed to attract the serious attention of physicists? First, because nobody expects to realize any great benefit for humankind from understanding the nature of ball lightning. A common belief is that the energy of ball lightning is negligible and comes from an external source. Second, to reproduce a natural phenomenon under controlled conditions requires a clear understanding of what, exactly, the natural phenomenon is. So far, modern scientists are not clear about the nature of ball lightning. Observations, not experimentation, remain the only source of information; and these observations are based on statistical analyses of reported sightings of ball lightning by members of the general public. Yet to discover the nature of the ball lightning will require active experiments and new ideas. Here are some excerpts from a report presented on First International Symposium on Ball Lightning in Waseda University in Tokyo (1989):
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