- #1
ahmeds
- 6
- 1
- TL;DR Summary
- Plasma ball ligting
Is the cause of the lighting due to the impact of electrons with the nucleus
No.ahmeds said:TL;DR Summary: Plasma ball ligting
Is the cause of the lighting due to the impact of electrons with the nucleus
No, not the nucleus.ahmeds said:Is the cause of the lighting due to the impact of electrons with the nucleus
Imo that's a bit sweeping. If there are ionised Hydrogen atoms about, there 'could' be an interaction with a proton (H+ ion / nucleus).Baluncore said:No, not the nucleus.
This is not about any hydrogen ions that might be about.sophiecentaur said:Imo that's a bit sweeping. If there are ionised Hydrogen atoms about, there 'could' be an interaction with a proton (H+ ion / nucleus).
To quote Wikipedia, the sphere is; "filled with noble gases, usually a mixture of neon, krypton, and xenon".sophiecentaur said:Visible lines tend to be produced from interaction with ions, other than Hydrogen, that are only partly ionised.
Baluncore said:This is not about any hydrogen ions that might be about.
We are discussing a real toy / cheap demo with a mixture of gases. It would be unlikely that the contents of the globe would be of high purity. The law of diminishing returns applies and this gadget has to sell at a reasonable price. The contents would be of similar purity to common or garden balloon gas. (Not so easy to come by these days.)Baluncore said:To quote Wikipedia, the sphere is; "filled with noble gases, usually a mixture of neon, krypton, and xenon".
That is correct. The gas mix is unimportant, so long as it works. Any UV emitted will not be "seen" directly, but may increase the ionisation of the plasma, which may then emit visible light.sophiecentaur said:We are discussing a real toy / cheap demo with a mixture of gases.
This was a beginners question, so I went for understanding the basic principle. The "impact of electrons with the nucleus", needed to be clearly eliminated, before understanding the quantum physics of visible light.sophiecentaur said:But my problem was with your categorical "no" about electrons hitting a nucleus. The "no" is a sweeping statement and could be mis-leading. That's all.
Yes but a 'sufficient' answer would not usually be a minimalist answer. A beginner would surely need to have it pointed out that only one electron would be missing from an atom. That would mean that the collision would involve interaction with the nucleus and the rest of the electrons. It costs nothing to expand on the word "no", particularly when helping a beginner. We know that a recombining electron goes nowhere near the nucleus.Baluncore said:This was a beginners question, so I went for understanding the basic principle. The "impact of electrons with the nucleus", needed to be clearly eliminated, before understanding the quantum physics of visible light.
berkeman said:No.
sophiecentaur said:It costs nothing to expand on the word "no", particularly when helping a beginner.
Baluncore said:No, not the nucleus.
YES.sophiecentaur said:We know that a recombining electron goes nowhere near the nucleus.
A plasma ball emits light because it contains a mixture of gases, usually neon, argon, or xenon, that are ionized by high voltage electricity. This ionization process causes the gases to release energy in the form of photons, which are the particles that make up light.
The colors in a plasma ball are caused by the specific gases used inside the ball. Each gas emits a unique color when ionized, with neon typically producing red or orange, argon producing blue or purple, and xenon producing a white or violet color.
The electricity in a plasma ball creates the light effect by ionizing the gases inside the ball. When the high voltage electricity passes through the gases, it strips electrons from the gas atoms, creating positively charged ions and free electrons. As the electrons recombine with the ions, they release energy in the form of light.
The tendrils or filaments of light seen in a plasma ball are caused by the movement of the free electrons within the ball. As the electrons are attracted to the positively charged center of the ball, they follow a path of least resistance through the gas, creating the characteristic tendrils or filaments of light.
The light emitted by a plasma ball is generally not harmful to the eyes. The light produced by the ionization of gases in a plasma ball is low intensity and does not contain harmful ultraviolet or infrared radiation. However, it is always recommended to avoid prolonged exposure to any bright light source, including a plasma ball, to prevent eye strain.