The Sounds of Plasma
This plasma stuff might burn you up with jealousy, but don't try this at home, electrical engineers. At least wait until you get back to the lab. Everybody else should simply enjoy the YouTube videos in safety.
Gizmodo posted two videos of one man's experiments with plasma speakers — you know, the kind that rely on ionized gas to produce sound rather than a magnetic field that moves paper and plastic drivers? In these speakers, the intensity of the plasma varies and creates compressions in airwaves which we hear as music.
The frequency range is between 200Hz and 12kHz, and is powered up to 50 watts. His song choice (Thompson Twins' "Hold Me Now") seems kind of tame, though. How about a plasma loudspeaker, tweeter and woofer that rock out to “Great Balls of Fire”?
Watching the bluish-purple “flame” seem to dance in time to the music is enthralling, but the sound quality leaves something to be desired. Do you hear that hiss? It doesn't sound like the plasma speakers will be on the market any time soon, anyhow. Their creator says he still has a few safety issues to work out. —Rachel Rosmarin
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