Just what is Plasma Theory? I know the standard dogma. What I want to know is what is the new theory that explains the universe in a way that gravity doesn’t. Just saying electricity is 100 times stronger than Gravity doesn’t mean much too me because typically it is much weaker with distance.
I am just trying to get a good handle on it. I will reply again when I have something intelligent to say, but any help in leading me to a simple explanation would be appreciated.
There is not an all encompassing theory that explains it all in the plasma world. As I stated earlier, this is one of the reasons the plasma guys aren't gaining a wider audience. The following from Dr. Peratt's web site is interesting.
Plasma astrophysics is currently being done with machines called pulsed-power generators, which currently operate in the 0.5-2 megajoules range and are located at Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Under construction is Atlas, a large pulsed power generator for studying instabilities in the various states of matter. Also mentioned is X-1, a 20-megajoule behemoth , so called after the bright source in the constellation Cygnus A. An appreciable fraction of machine usage for these large machines will be devoted to plasma astrophysics.
and this
"Just as gravity was the basis for astrophysics in the twentieth century," assert today's advocates of the plasma model, "electromagnetism will be in the twenty-first century." This claim and challenge is offered with growing conviction, thanks to a diverse collection of auspicious developments:
1. Radically advanced equipment is becoming available for testing in the laboratory plasma behaviors that are surprisingly comparable to those in cosmic space.
2. Clear evidence of inter- and intra-galactic magnetic fields have been found.
3. Current filaments have been detected in the interstellar medium.
4. Supercomputer capabilities are now so great, and plasma modeling is so advanced, thanks to efforts to model nuclear weapons, that a new era of modeling cosmological phenomena is upon us.
In the details of these developments, as presented in four accompanying sidebars, we see the emerging face of astrophysics in the twenty-first century.
I think a workable theory will emerge from the modeling that comes from these new technologies. That new theory will answer the difficult questions that the gravity guys can't explain or explain using unverifiable constructs.
I started my reading on the subject at this site.
Another place to get some interesting reading is the Thunderbolts Picture of the Day site. They get into many areas dealing with the electrical force in the solar system and beyond. The article is always short but interesting. Today's article deals with what we have been talking about, an electric model for a galactic engine. The picture of the day archive contains some very interesting articles on a number of different subjects.
Get back to me when you can. The flow of the conversation will be driven by our research and life's vicissitudes.