Right, the problem that developed was between 1 and 2, which wasn’t a problem in the experiments last spring. More news to follow in the coming weeks. 🙂
On the multiple toroids question, between 2 and 3, it may be possible to produce multiple toroids, but it is unlikely because the toroid represents a lower energy state. Once a toroid forms, the stored energy in the twisted filament is drawn into the toroid, which effectively prevents others from forming. I suppose if there was enough stored energy in the filament, two or more could form simultaneously. In fact, this may be the case in nature with high-altitude lightning and its associated blue jets and sprites. We may encounter it along the way in our testing. If so, we’ll let everyone know.
