CHARGED DUST AEROSOLS - DUSTY PLASMAS
1. Introduction
There are numerous reports of unidentified flying objects of cigar, toroidal, spherical and a host of other regular shapes moving in earth’s atmosphere due to the action of forces of an unknown nature. Depending on the witness’s perception at the time, the object can have ‘navigation lights’, ‘searchlights’, be of various single colours or even multiple colours. The objects reportedly can change flight direction suddenly, stop, accelerate or decelerate. Reports by aircrew have included “buzzed by shining glass balls or cones” or “like soccer balls made of glass”. Mukharev (Russia)¹ takes all these factors into account in his hypothesis that aerosol aggregation can accumulate electrical charges due to the action of the same process (charge mechanisms) as in thunderclouds. There are several types of ‘dusty plasma’. For example, ‘Dusty Dense’ plasmas and ‘Dust in a Plasma’ are different. In the former the particles remain electrostatically trapped in the plasma volume. A strong electric field is needed in the gas in order to increase ionisation rate and maintain the structure against electron loss. An equilibrium is achieved by the balance between ionisations in the plasma volume and the charged particles lost at the extremities. Within the core of the effect the particles take up an ordered structure (rather like a crystal lattice). Russia has taken a particular interest in combustion plasmas since 1994, and the science of dusty plasmas has recently achieved several milestones. Several researchers have used microspheres as the experimental medium [An area of potential military interest is in the possible use of microspheres as chaff to produce false targets].
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¹ Mukharev L.A. “Hypothesis on the Nature of Atmospheric UFO” Radiotekhrika Elektronika No. 8 1991 pp1437-1443
2.
When dust particles are between separated charges (e.g. visualise as in a volume between capacitor plates) the dust will suspend in a matrix and a balancing of the charges causes the dust to suspend in flat layers. By using a laser beam it has been shown that the dust can be moved, or the crystal lattice ‘fractured’. The radiation intensity of a low power laser can also accelerate the particles and the momentum given to them depends on their size, distribution, surface area and mass. If the sustaining source is removed the dust falls under gravity. Since the particles can be made to form specified alignments, there are specific industrial applications being researched for this technology, but the UAP context is potentially a special case - since clearly if the charge suddenly leaked away, the plasma would vanish. The overall equilibrium of the charged particles in the medium is thus defined by external conditions. It is suggested that Dusty Plasmas may well be closely related to at least some of the UAP reports; which frequently describe what appears to be a plasma (often with several ‘centres’ of turmoil), which are either attracted towards each other, held by some type of mutual repulsion field at a set distance from each other for long periods, or merge or collapse.
3.
Just as in thunderclouds, spark discharges can occur, leading to the formation of an electromagnetic field, it is postulated that because the EM field will vary through the volume (because of the renewal of particles as the cloud moves) this will give rise to a reactive force which will maintain its motion.
4. Streamlined Shaping
For a high cloud velocity, it is suggested, that those particles which are retained are so held by the amount that the EM field exceeds the surface aerodynamic drag forces. Therefore, once motion commences the ‘object’ assumes a shape due to aerodynamic drag and naturally becomes ‘streamlined’ - for example aircraft
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UNCLASSIFIED
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UNCLASSIFIED
UK RESTRICTED
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