2012 05 00 Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics - Vol 80 - Paiva - Hessdalen

Magazine Overview

This document is an article titled "Cluster formation in Hessdalen lights" published in the "Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics", Volume 80, in 2012. The article is authored by G.S. Paiva and C.A. Taft from the Centro Brasileiro de pesquisas Físicas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It discusses a theoretical model for the formation of Hessdalen lights (HL) and their observed phenomena.

Article Summary

Introduction The article begins by introducing Hessdalen lights (HL) as unusual luminous balls of unknown origin reported in Hessdalen, Norway, since the 1940s. Despite various sightings and some proposed explanations, a complete physical explanation remains elusive. Some sightings have been attributed to misperceptions, while others suggest combustion processes involving dust or even Coulomb crystals in dusty plasma. The authors note that dusty plasmas, which contain nanometer or micrometer-sized particles, can exhibit complex collective states and that HL sometimes visually display geometric structures or helical rotation. The ejection of mini light balls from larger HL and fragmentation into clusters have been observed, but the reasons are unknown. The paper also references laboratory experiments showing charged particle emission from fractured rocks, particularly under conditions of low temperature and high moisture, which are prevalent in the Hessdalen area during winter.

Theoretical Model for Ejection and Cluster Formation The core of the paper presents a theoretical model for the fragmentation and ejection of light balls from HL. The authors propose that these phenomena are driven by the nonlinear interaction between ion-acoustic waves (IAW) and dusty-acoustic waves (DAW) in dusty plasmas, influenced by low-frequency geoelectromagnetic waves. An ion-acoustic wave is described as a longitudinal oscillation of ions and electrons, analogous to acoustic waves in a neutral gas. The velocity of an IAW is calculated using a formula that considers electron and ion temperatures and masses. Based on estimated plasma temperatures (T_e = 50,000 K, T_i = 5000 K) and ionic masses, the IAW velocity is found to be approximately 10^4 m s⁻¹, which aligns with observed velocities of ejected light balls (estimated at 2 x 10^4 m s⁻¹).

Dusty-acoustic waves are presented as a mechanism for the fragmentation of HL into clusters of light balls. DAW are a low-velocity normal mode in a three-component dusty plasma (electrons, ions, and dust grains), driven by electron and ion pressure, with inertia provided by the dust particles. The speed of a DAW is given by a formula involving ion temperature and dust mass. Considering typical atmospheric dust particle properties, the DAW velocity is estimated to be around 10 cm s⁻¹. This slow wave propagation is interpreted as the velocity of light balls during cluster formation and fragmentation, consistent with video observations.

The article illustrates these mechanisms with diagrams showing how water infiltration and freezing can fracture rocks, leading to charge production and electrical fields that generate dusty plasmas. It depicts how VLF waves interact with ions to create IAW (driving ejection) and with dust grains to create DAW (driving fragmentation).

Conclusions The authors conclude that Hessdalen lights are a complex dusty plasma phenomenon. The fragmentation and ejection of light balls from HL are attributed to the interaction of dusty-acoustic and ion-acoustic waves within these plasmas. The speed of ejected light balls is linked to ion-acoustic waves, while fragmentation into clusters is attributed to dusty-acoustic waves. The paper contrasts this dusty plasma model with other theories for ball lightning and HL, such as mini-black hole theory or spinning electric dipole theory, suggesting that the dusty plasma model is better suited to explain the observed properties and behavior of HL in laboratory scales.

Acknowledgments and References The authors acknowledge financial support from CNPq and Faperj (Brazil) and thank Marcilio de Souza Oliveira for his comments. The article includes an extensive list of references, citing previous work on Hessdalen lights, dusty plasmas, ion-acoustic waves, dust-acoustic waves, fractoemission, and related phenomena.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme of this article is the scientific investigation of anomalous atmospheric phenomena, specifically Hessdalen lights, through the lens of plasma physics, particularly dusty plasmas. The authors advocate for a theoretical model based on wave interactions within dusty plasmas to explain the observed characteristics of HL, such as light ball ejection and fragmentation. The editorial stance of the journal, as reflected in the publication of this article, appears to be open to exploring complex physical explanations for unexplained phenomena, grounding them in established physics principles like plasma dynamics and wave theory, even when applied to unusual subjects like UFOs or ball lightning.