4 ms·
None of that sounds implausible to me. • Plasma is opaque to electromagnetic radiation (including microwaves), it could totally be trapped: https://www.reddit.
by laughinghan 10y ago
None of that sounds implausible to me.
• Plasma is opaque to electromagnetic radiation (including microwaves), it could totally be trapped: https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/26jxu6/why_is_plasma_opaque_to_radiation/ https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/26jxu6/why_is_p...
• Beta radiation (electrons) are known for passing through several millimeters of aluminum (³²P beta radiation penetrates to a depth of 3/8th of an inch or 9.5mm): http://www.alpharubicon.com/basicnbc/RadiationPenetration.htm http://www.alpharubicon.com/basicnbc/RadiationPenetration.ht...
Besides, radiation penetration isn't discrete, it's an exponential falloff; even if only 0.1% makes it through a particular sheet of aluminum, well, one thousandth of a lightning strike is still a serious amount of radiation.
• If you've ever sat in front of a CRT TV or computer monitor, electrons were accelerated to relativistic speeds right at your face in the span of a foot or so, about 1/3 c: https://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101101030617AAGm7aD https://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201011010306...
Maybe 1/3 c doesn't count as "high relativistic" in your book, but clouds are huge compared to CRT monitors, any free electrons would be in much stronger electric fields and would be accelerating over much greater distances.
- rcthompson 10y agoI don't doubt that lightning launches electrons at high speed. I doubt that those electrons can pass through a metal sheet at high speed and then immediately come to a stop on the other side before travelling the dozen or two feet across the plane and out the other side.
- pmalynin 10y agoPlus rapidly decelerating electrons produce x-rays.
- laughinghan 10y ago"For high atomic number materials, there is a chance of the beta particles loosing energy by producing some x-rays. In water, the x-ray production from a beta particle is quite miniscule." http://www.alpharubicon.com/basicnbc/RadiationPenetration.htm http://www.alpharubicon.com/basicnbc/RadiationPenetration.ht... By "high atomic number materials" they mean stuff like lead, 82. Aluminum is 13.
- InclinedPlane 10y agoYou didn't read the paper.
- laughinghan 10y agoThey can't maintain high speed for long. "The charge of the beta particle will continuously cause ionization along the path that it is traveling. Because of this, when a beta particle enters some material, it begins slowing down, and slows down continuously." Same link as above: http://www.alpharubicon.com/basicnbc/RadiationPenetration.htm http://www.alpharubicon.com/basicnbc/RadiationPenetration.ht...