WHAT IS ‘PLASMA’?
“Plasma” (Greek: the malleable) is a completely or partially ionized gas in which the atoms decay into positive ions and negative electrons.
This happens either through high temperatures or through high electrical voltage at high frequency.
As a result of the decomposition of matter into its components, the gas suddenly acquires properties that were not originally assigned to the gas.
For example, different gases suddenly become visible as light and have different color properties; another special feature is the constant movement of light. In nature, such phenomena can be seen as lightning discharges, northern lights or fire.
INVENTOR OF THE ARTIFICIAL NEON PLASMA LIGHT
As with other great inventions, there is no one person responsible for a groundbreaking invention, but rather a chronology of successive series of discoveries by several scientists, which together ultimately led to the groundbreaking patent application. The last person in this chain, the applicant for the patent, is usually honored in the history books as the inventor.
- The origins of neon light and plasma light come from one and the same source of knowledge. The renowned British experimental physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) discovered the electrical conductivity of gases around 1830. His challenge, however, was to isolate these noble gases in a permanently vacuum environment.
- Around 20 years later, Heinrich Geißler (1814-1879) from Thuringia and his brother Wilhelm Geißler (1818-1869) succeeded in creating the first vacuum-tight glass-to-metal connection using platinum plates. Heinrich Geißler’s invention of the mercury diffusion pump made highly vacuum-tight glass tubes possible – so-called “Geißler tubes”. Together with the young Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857-1894), glass objects were made to glow with different current frequencies in Bonn. The “Geißler tube” is considered the forerunner of the neon tube, but can also be called the first plasma light object due to the partially high-frequency current sources. Hertz was the first to succeed in generating electromagnetic waves in an experiment. His name is still used today as a unit of measurement for current frequency (Hz).
- William Crookes (1832-1919) from London first described the physical system of PLASMA in 1879.
- The genius Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), born in Smiljan, Croatia (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), registered many of these earlier discoveries together with his own groundbreaking discoveries in more than 200 patents. Tesla is not only regarded as the inventor of alternating current and “free energy”, which forms the basis for computer technology, satellite technology and space travel. He also produced the first plasma flashlights in the early 1900s, which he used to research the wireless transmission of electrical energy.
- In 1887, Otto Schott (1851-1993) developed heat-resistant borosilicate glass, formerly known as Jena glass. This completed all the discoveries that were necessary for the production of a perfect plasma object. Of course, in between all these scientists there were other pioneers, some of them well-known (e.g. Conrad Röntgen), who contributed their share to today’s knowledge base of plasma/neon technology. A good overview can be found under the link www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939388922001350
- In 1910, the Frenchman Georges Claude (1870-1960) invented the neon tube as we know it today.
- While neon technology celebrated its worldwide triumph from this point onwards, which continues to this day, plasma light technology remained largely undiscovered due to its industrially less interesting usability. In contrast to a fluorescent tube, in which the noble gas is only generated in combination with a phosphor coating and other additives, such as mercury, to form a powerful light source, a glass plasma light object is filled exclusively with different noble gases, i.e. all components of air. This means that the glass object remains 100% transparent in daylight. In the dark, the gas can be ionized by applying a high-frequency current. The gas begins to glow faintly and is constantly in motion. This magical movement effect is a highly interesting field of activity, especially for light artists, with almost unlimited effect possibilities that have only been superficially researched to date.
- Among the best known of these plasma artists is the American Larry Albright (1932-2022) with his fascinating, moving lightning objects, produced for special effects for the American film industry.
- Bill Parker, who brought the plasma ball to worldwide attention in the early 1980s.
- Mundy Hepburn, whose floral organic glass formations made of soft glass in sometimes gigantic dimensions challenge the limits of what is possible.
- Wayne Strattman from Boston, who created large objects for science centers worldwide and is considered the inventor of Luminglas, flat glass in combination with plasma light.
- Ed Kirshner from Oakland – known for discovering and perfecting the so-called pattern effect (1998).
- Ed Kirshner and Bernd Weinmayer met for the first time at a glass auction in Seattle in 2003. Since then, numerous new gas mixtures and effects have been developed in joint workshops, which both Kirshner and Weinmayer use in their own art creations. This collaboration has resulted in several pattern levels in one plasma object for the first time. In a grail bowl, for example, both the rim of the goblet and the base glow in different pattern effects, the direction of rotation of which can be manipulated by touching the glass by hand. These effect levels can be multiplied almost at will.
- It was thanks to a lucky coincidence that an extremely bright neon effect was discovered for the first time in the Weinmayer workshop in 2006. As a result, plasma effects are now clearly visible under normal daylight conditions for the first time. Due to its uniquely high efficiency, this special red/orange neon effect is around 50% more energy-efficient than the conventional pink/orange neon effect, while at the same time doubling the light output. For example, a plasma bowl with a bowl diameter of approx. 30 cm draws approx. 20 watts of electricity and is therefore ideal for continuous operation.
PHILOSOPHY, MANUFACTURING PROCESS AND MECHANISM OF WEINMAYER PLASMA OBJECTS
The preferred themes for Weinmayer plasma objects have matured in his mind over the years and usually relate to realistic depictions of the diversity of nature’s creations.
The proportions and dimensions of the new object are already clearly fixed in the artist’s mind before production begins, so that improvisation is rarely necessary during the production process. Small sketches in advance sometimes help to illustrate a position even better.
Similar to the bottle fusions, Weinmayer plasma light objects have a functional level in addition to the free, creative design.
Different gas fillings require specially shaped glass cavities so that the desired light effect can actually be achieved and preserved.
Weinmayer glass works are characterized by the crystal-clear, transparent base material borosilicate glass (Duran, Simax) in a fascinating design language of smooth, naturally flowing surfaces in combination with sometimes hyper-realistic details. The fascination of a transparent solid material that does not forgive any production errors can only be enhanced in combination with light. This is achieved either by natural light reflections on the glass surfaces or by unobtrusive artificial light, the inert gas of which is filled into the transparent hollow body.
To achieve this, pure noble gases such as neon, xenon, argon or krypton are used, which are all natural components of our air and therefore also 100% transparent. The gas mixture is refined using special elements that have a positive influence on the light effects.
This mixing process is comparable to a good cooking recipe. If the basic ingredients and spices are carefully combined, the result is a fascinating dish.
Once the hollow glass body has been produced, which is first formed by hand at 1600°C, relaxed at 530°C and then placed under vacuum at 320°C, the gas mixtures in question can be tested.
The temporary glow effect is already visible during the filling process.
The number of minimal pressure surges of different noble gases are continuously recorded so that great lighting effects can be reproduced later and a record archive is created over the years. The “cookbook for plasma artists”, so to speak, with countless gas mixing protocols, only very few of which remain optically perfect and at the same time stable over many decades.
Natural gases can reproduce nearly the entire colour spectrum. Nevertheless, only a few gases can be used in a wide variety of mixing ratios. Some gaseous elements are radioactive (radon), for example, or are harmful to the environment (e.g. greenhouse gas sulphur hexafluoride). Others, such as helium, have too small an atomic structure and can escape through borosilicate glass after a relatively short time. Oxygen compounds can heat up so much that cracks can form in the electrode area. Some gases, filled in large quantities, make the plasma object highly reactive. Contact with the object can lead to electric shock or high levels of ozone in the air.
The task of a good plasma artist is to use only gas mixtures that guarantee safe use by the end customer for many decades. Harmful additives, such as the mercury frequently used in neon technology, are not used.
A Weinmayer plasma object can be refilled or repaired at any time, provided it is not a total loss with countless fragments.
Why does the plasma light up even in the most delicate structures?
Each plasma object is connected to a high-frequency transformer via an electrode – usually built into the base.
Small amounts of electricity between 20 and 100 watts are enough to make the unobtrusive light structures dance. As a comparison, a neon strip light usually contains two electrodes. The arc seeks the fastest possible path from electrode A to electrode B.
Plasma light objects, on the other hand, only have one electrode.
The light is therefore constantly searching for the second electrode or an earthing source.
The outer glass surface of the light object and the humidity in the air already have enough earthing potential for the light to follow all glass angles evenly.
In contrast to a neon transformer, a plasma transformer has a high current output frequency of 20,000 to 50,000 hertz. This ionizes the gas. The light effect is therefore constantly in motion and reacts sensitively to the outside world. For example, if you touch a plasma object with your fingers, the light flash phenomena are manipulated by your hand. The hand as a grounding source is stronger than the surrounding air, and the light is often completely absorbed by the hand.
A piece of plasma standing alone in a room with a neutral earth potential therefore shines more symmetrically than in a room with a different earth potential (e.g. caused by metal structures).
Too strong earth points close by, or many plasma objects next to one another, should be avoided, as they can interfere with each others’ effects.