Symmetrical traces of particles formed during electrical discharges in water

The paper studies traces of particles formed when an electric current pulse passes through a sodium bicarbonate solution. A steel needle electrode was used as an anode. Groups of traces of absolutely identical shape and size were detected on detectors (polycarbonate DVDs). The thickness of the traces ranged from 1 to 10 μm. A model of the structure of such particles is proposed. According to this model, a particle is a multiply charged cluster in the form of a group of ions of the same sign located inside a shell of polarized water molecules. The balance of forces in such a cluster is calculated. It is shown that for all clusters, the ratio of the charge Q to the square of its radius A = Q/R² = 1 C/m² remains constant. The motion of such clusters in air under the action of an electric field was analyzed. It is shown that clusters with the same parameter A = Q/R² move in air with the same speed. This allows us to explain the fact that traces of different thicknesses left by particles with different energies have the same shape and size. The electric field energy of a multiply charged cluster has been estimated. It has been shown that it can exceed hundreds of megaelectronvolts. The results obtained give grounds to believe that the structure of particles generated in electric discharges in water can be fairly fully represented by the model of a multiply charged water cluster. The cause of the formation of a group of identically shaped traces has been analyzed. It has been shown that they could have been left by particles measuring 1.6·10⁻⁶ m with an electric charge of 6.31·10⁻¹³ C. It is highly likely that these particles appeared during the division into fragments of the “parent” cluster formed near the positive electrode inside the liquid.