Title :
High voltages for particle acceleration from thunderstorms: A. Brasch and F. Lange
Author :
Schmidt, Werner F.
Author_Institution :
Hahn-Meitner Inst. Berlin
fDate :
4/1/1989 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
An early experiment of two German physicists, A. Brasch and F. Lange (1930), who conceived the idea of harnessing the huge potential differences between charged clouds of thunderstorms and the earth, is briefly described. Voltage pulses of 8 to 15 MV amplitude were observed. Difficulties existed in bringing this potential down to the earth surface, and no discharge tube for the acceleration of particle beams that could withstand such voltages existed at the time. The project was discontinued when a fatal accident claimed the life of a coworker of Brasch and Lange
Keywords :
atmospheric electricity; high-voltage techniques; history; particle accelerators; thunderstorms; 8 to 15 MV; Brasch; German physicists; Lange; acceleration of particle beams; charged clouds; fatal accident; particle acceleration; thunderstorms; Acceleration; Cables; Clouds; Earth; Electrostatics; Linear particle accelerator; Particle beams; Power transformer insulation; Rectifiers; Voltage;
Journal_Title :
Electrical Insulation, IEEE Transactions on
