Amazing Physics or science Fiction?

Question

Hello, I am not sure if this is a physics question. I am quite sure it is however, so don't bombard me with unnecessary comments on my mistake in scientific terms. Anyways, I would like to know if ionized air particles have magnetic fields. Also, if you were to have some sort of chain like material that sent out electrical pulses into the air, would it ionize the air. If so, will the ionized air particles have a magnetic field that one could then repel with some sort of machine. Also, (Additional points for this answer) how much energy would you need to output if you wanted to get a large amount of thrust with the ionized air. Enough to get a 200 pound man off the ground.

ie: Research ion lifters if you are confused about this second part.

Answer 1

Physics:

Ion engines exist and are currently being used on spacecraft.

Thrust comes from accelerating a gas by shooting it through a high voltage grid.  Thrust is very small, and will not lift anything in the presence of earth gravity and air pressure.  That is why they are used in space ( little gravity and no air pressure).  Voltage comes from solar panels on the spacecraft.

Fiction:

Such a thing exists or could be made to lift people on the surface of the earth.

The Boeing company, for one, uses ion engines on satellites.

Here is the link to their ion engines.

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/spac...

Hope this helps

Answer 2

Ionized particles carry +ve charge, so when the particles move, they do generate magnetic field.

Ionized air could be generated by discharging high voltage electricity between two metal plates. wires, or whatever conducting materials as long as the voltage is high enough to jump the gap - like in spark plugs.  To move these charged up air particles, one could deploy a -ve charged up pole, terminal or plate.  It would be like one of those ionic Breeze fans.

That actually sounds like an electrostatic turbo jet engine.  Sorry, it is a bit late for really complicated math. :P

PS Generally one needs a 170 mph wind under the wings to take off from a runway.

Answer 3

They did this on mythbusters to check an "anti-gravity" machine. NASA is currently researching this technology. I piece of wire, some aluminum foil, and a voltage source. Can be made at home easily, but will not lift a person.

There is no way of computing how much energy is needed to lift a person without knowing the configuration of the device. This is like asking "how much gas does it take to go one mile?" The answer depends on the car.  

Answer 4

Plasma, which is an ionized gas, is highly electrically conductive and responds to electromagnetic fields. Any electrically charged particle in motion creates a magnetic field.

Plasma:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(phy...

A Tesla coil produces very high voltage, low current, high frequency AC. When it's cranked up, it shoots out lightning-like pulses that ionize the air, just like a lightning blot. The ionized air is affected by magnetic fields.

Tesla coil:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_coil

Deep Space 1, launched on October 24, 1998, was an ion drive propulsion system that produced a thrust of 92 mN. Thar's very small compared to chemical rockets, but the drive obtained a very high efficiency.

The force produced is:

F = Id/k where:

    F = force, in newtons,

    I  = current, in amperes,

    d  = air gap, in meters, and

    k  = ion mobility coefficient of air, measured in m²/(V s). (Nominal value 2×10−4 m^2/(V s))

I don't know enough (for now) as to how to derive the equation for lifting an object off the ground.

Deep Space 1:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/so...