Lifter Corona Early lifter designs typically utilized a 30-gauge wire for the high-voltage emitter, which gave off considerable ozone and corona. Newer designs utlizing 50-gauge stainless-steel wire do not have this problem. The photos below are a comparison of the corona-emission from Lifters using 30-gauge and 50-gauge wire.		Coronal Overview The corona is a purple glow emitted from air-molecules that are excited by the high-voltage leakage current in the air-gap. The corona is a lossy effect, and the energy lost in producing the corona detracts from lifting thrust. 50-Gauge Wire Benefits Corona - Typically, a purple glow extends in a sheet between the wire and the foil. The new wire offers corona-free operation. Noise- Replacing standard wire with 50-gauge stainless wire reduces the operational noise to subaudible levels -- finally, silent operation! Power - The corona typically wastes a great deal of energy during lift, but when the new wire is used, but power levels increase dramatically. Stability - The lack of vibration and more efficient charge-transfer that accompany the wire produce less swaying and vibration during operation. Flame Plasma Corona The flame interacts with the corona between the emitter and collector because the flame contains a conductive plasma. Common flames can contain ionization rates of approximately 10% or more, in which the hot-exhaust gases contain free electrons in addition to atoms with a net-charge from which they have been stripped. The electrically-charged nature of these particles makes them conductive, which interacts with the electrically-charged corona in the air-gap.
30-Gauge Wire [side] The bright purple glow of the corona from the 30-gauge copper wire was captured using a 1-second shutter exposure. click here
30-Gauge Wire [front] This front-view photo shows the coronal-sheet that completely fills the air-gap when in operation using 30-gauge wire. click here
Corona-Plasma Arcing As the flame passes through the charged air-gap, combustion-gases form a plasma-channel and conduct electricity as long sparks. click here
Flame Bisecting Air-Gap When high-voltage power is applied across the air-gap, the flame is drawn onto the ground-potential collector. click here
Corona Overview The Lifter corona is a result of high-voltage charge-transfer between the emitter-wire and foil-collector. The coronal-effects in the above photos occurred primarily with early Lifter designs, which typically used a heavier-gauge emitter wire. The photographs were taken using a light-enhancement feature to better detect the corona, which is typically very faint in a well-lit room. 50-Gauge Stainless Steel Wire American Antigravity replaced the magnet wire on the standard Lifter 1 shown in the majority of our test videos with 50-gauge stainless steel corona-wire. The results that we encountered were highly surprising. The hissing noise that usually accompanies the lifter during operation completely disappeared, and our light-enhancement photographs show that aside from residual glow from workmanship issues, the prototype with the new wire shows no corona during operation. In addition to the lack of noise or corona, the lifter also showed a dramatic increase in lifting power. Also, the lifter showed an increase in stability that allows increased tether-height without swaying. Flame-Test Coronal-Effects The flame is drawn towards the 30-gauge collector wire when power is applied partially through an aerodynamic push from ions travelling from the emitter to the collector, but also because the flame is a mixture of combustion-gasses and gas-plasma that picks up and carries charges in the air-gap to the collector. In essence, the flame serves as a charge-transport mechanism across the air-gap, and as such it picks up ions from the surrounding air in the corona and delivers them to the collector. click here Purchasing 50-Gauge Stainless Wire You may be able to purchase 50-gauge stainless wire from American Antigravity in the near future. When we have a source ready, we will announce sales of 50-gauge wire in quantities to allow Lifter-researchers to improve their designs dramatically. click here