Calculations show that high-energy ball lightning may consist of a ball of plasma containing a large circular electric current arising as an eddy current generated by lightning. Synthetic ball lightning might serve as a method of plasma confinement for purposes of nuclear fusion. In this paper, three articles concerning ball lightning and the related phenomenon of large ball lightning are combined to provide insight into this rarely glimpsed occurrence.
Previous studies of ball lightning have concluded that no valid explanation of the phenomenon exists. This paper combines previous work with new insights to fashion a theory which accounts for the formation and some major properties of ball lightning.
To begin, calculations show that high-energy ball lightning may consist of a ball of plasma containing a large circular electric current arising as an eddy current generated in the lightning channel or from vortex formation within the channel.
According to the generally accepted theory of sunspots, the sun's differential rotation winds up magnetic field lines into cables, which are stable for years. There must be a large circular electric current inside a cable to generate the magnetic field. Ball lightning may just be a short length of magnetic cable and thus quite similar to a sunspot. Tornadoes have been reported to produce ball lightning, which is not surprising since tornadoes contain almost continuous internal lightning.
A simple ball of plasma at atmospheric pressure would be much lighter than air, would quickly cool and disperse and would display low energy. Ball lightning, however, evidently has a density comparable to air, is stable over a period of several seconds, and has appreciable energy, according to several reports. One must therefore postulate a mechanism which compresses and stabilizes the plasma.
One plausible mechanism is a large magnetic field, and observers' reports have corroborated magnetic effects associated with ball lightning. A magnetic field must arise from an electric current, and in a finite body an electric current must follow a closed path. One is thus led to suspect that ball lightning may be a ball of plasma containing a large circular electric current.