On Mar 31, 4:14 am, Matthias Warkus <War...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
> Hi,
>
> in SF, fusion-powered spaceships often have to vent plasma from their
> reactors overboard in case of a malfunction such as a breached magnetic
> bottle. Is that in any way realistic?
Not really. The plasma in magnetic confinement fusion is so tenuous
that in the event of a malfunction, the plasma would be quenched by
contact with the reactor walls rather than blasting the reactor apart.
> And, however realistic, what would
> it look like?
If the plasma is sufficiently dense that it is opaque, it would be a
blue-white hot blaze of light. As the plasma expands into vacuum, it
expands and becomes transparent. The light from the transparent
regions is very much reduced, and may give you a faint diffuse glow.
The glow from transparent hydrogen plasma seems to be a purple-pink
color. Realistic magnetic confinement would have transparent plasma
from the get go.
For an example of the difference between opaque and transparent
plasma, consider the difference between the sun's photosphere (opaque
plasma) and the sun's chromosphere and corona (transparent plasma).
Luke
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