Plasma globe

From Wikipedia:

Most commonly, plasma globes are available in spheres or cylinders. Although many variations exist, a plasma lamp is usually a clear glass orb filled with a mixture of various gases—most commonly helium and neon, sometimes with other noble gases such as xenon and krypton—at low pressure (below 0.01 atmosphere)[3] and driven by high-frequency alternating current at approximately 35 kHz, 2--5 kV, generated by a high-voltage transformer. A much smaller orb in its center serves as an electrode. Plasma filaments extend from the inner electrode to the outer glass insulator, giving the appearance of multiple constant beams of colored light (see corona discharge and electric glow discharge). The beams initially follow the electric field lines of the dipole but move upwards due to convection.[citation needed]

Placing a hand near the glass alters the high-frequency electric field, causing a single beam to migrate from the inner ball to the point of contact.[1] An electric current is produced within any conductive object near the orb, as the glass does not block the electromagnetic field created by the electric current flowing through the plasma (though the insulator does block the current itself).[citation needed] The glass acts as a dielectric in a capacitor formed between the ionized gas and the hand.

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