I was messing around with a microwave today. And something pretty unexpected happend. Looks really cool too!
The Plasma Jar:
**Video **(right click - save as works best):
Low Quality (300x200 10mb .mov)
High Quality (720x480 60mb .mov)
[SIZE=“1”]The clicking noise in the video is me taking pictures btw[/SIZE]
For this experiment I took a jar, removed the air, and filled it with pure Argon gas. The Argon gas makes it easier for a high voltage arc to form. I then sealed a Copper coil made of thick wire (the thinner wire melts too fast) inside the jar. Lastly I put the jar in the Microwave, and turned it on.
Pretty nifty eh?
[SIZE=1]I don’t recommend this experiment in your microwave. The microwave seems to have lost a significant amount of power since I first started. Also, the arc gets hot enough to melt the glass jar, potentially cracking and running the floor of the microwave. In another related experiment the Pyrex test tube exploded, spraying glass every ware.[/SIZE]