Red Spark Blue Spark?

[Infunity]

I am curious to see how this theory I have holds up to peer review. I'm going to assume its been postulated before, yet nonetheless, I want commentary.

When energy is made to flow by magnetic induction, the discharge over a gap appears as reddish, orange, and is usually hot.

The discharge from a dielectric material is often blue, purple, and this coloring is often associated with "cold electricity".

From my understanding I have yet to divulge anything new about this relationship. The theory I put forwards is that the REASON these discharges are colored this way has to do with the conditioning of space as it becomes polarized by the discharge.

To put it simply... I think sparks and plasma arcs look their color because the space they are emitted from is undergoing expansion or contraction as a result of the type of energy being discharged. A short spark can often appear to be white, but under closer observation it can be seen to be blue near the center and red on the outside. Fire, another form of plasma, looks the same way.

It is for this reason that I have drawn a relationship between the collapsing field which seeks centre, dielectric discharges, and the cold form of radiant energy. Likewise, I associate the expanding field, the magnetic field, the b-field, which radiates outwards to the full extent of its energetic capability.

Anyways, the blue part seems to me to be the space under contraction, which has an effect on the light emitted similar to blue-shift with stars. The red part of plasma seems to be in the expanding space causing an effect similar to red-shift with stars.

I have confirmed some of the relationships of color to current and voltage.. I will post the details of those experiments with a schematic of the circuit I was using.. after I see if anybody cares.

[skaght]

I guess I would fall back on standard theory, thinking that the electrons in the outer valence of the gases around the discharge are creating the light by moving from higher to lower energy levels, the color of the emitted photon correlating with the color of the energy value between the different levels. Hotter discharges typically are low voltage, high amperage, whereas cold discharges are higher voltage, lower amperage. The low voltage would produce lower energy colors like red, whereas higher voltages would produce higher energy colors like purple--I would guess...

However, I am open to other ideas, as I've read with curiosity Eric Dollard's work describing coronium which is a green emission of a "primordial element" (my words) found in some plasma discharges. The best way to prove your theory might be to create a color that is impossible based on atmospheric gases. It would probably be easiest in a plasma tube that holds only one type of gas. Interestingly, I believe that when you evacuate any gas far enough the discharge simply becomes green due to the electrons.

[Infunity]

I guess I would fall back on standard theory, thinking that the electrons in the outer valence of the gases around the discharge are creating the light by moving from higher to lower energy levels, the color of the emitted photon correlating with the color of the energy value between the different levels. Hotter discharges typically are low voltage, high amperage, whereas cold discharges are higher voltage, lower amperage. The low voltage would produce lower energy colors like red, whereas higher voltages would produce higher energy colors like purple--I would guess...

However, I am open to other ideas, as I've read with curiosity Eric Dollard's work describing coronium which is a green emission of a "primordial element" (my words) found in some plasma discharges. The best way to prove your theory might be to create a color that is impossible based on atmospheric gases. It would probably be easiest in a plasma tube that holds only one type of gas. Interestingly, I believe that when you evacuate any gas far enough the discharge simply becomes green due to the electrons.

Hmm, but why are those particular colors so tightly related to the nature of the discharge? Is it only to do with the electron and its position in the electron shells that act as magnetic turnstiles for specific wavelengths?

I've been studying Bohr's and Schrödinger's models of the atom, mostly the parts relating to radiation emissions. It talks about how electrons can only be in their specific shells in specific atoms. Where I begin to suspect a correlation between my idea and their models of the electron jumping is that... something makes the electron jump between shells that are of the same energy value, and I don't think its commonplace knowledge how the electron chooses which shell to jump to, and how it relates to the wavelength of the emission.

Why does voltage affect the wavelength of a plasma emission in that way?

And also, when high current and high voltage is combined, why is blue usually in the center and red on the outside?

Mmm, thanks for mentioning Dollard and this green emission! It is of value to my research. My goal is to be able to customize spark color/s by varying voltage and current. If I can reproduce the colors on command, I think I'll be onto some interesting phenomenology...