Reply To: Energy Policy in Chile – Economist Article

[AaronB]

MTd2 wrote: … Have you ever twisted a string so much that the twists starts twisting around themselves? It soon becoms a chaotic mass. So, how can you assure me that a chaotic state won’t dominate around the equilibrium point? Chaos would ensue, and a lot of energy would be lost…

This is probably what you were referring to when you mentioned wasted electrons. The comparison with a twisted string that kinks into a chaotic mass is close, but there are some distinct differences. A string has a relatively fixed length, so when it kinks past the first order spiral, it twists into one or more second-order twisted loops. A plasma filament is much more elastic, and filament loops can combine with each other unlike a string. A string’s lowest energy state when twisted is the “chaotic mass” state with the twisted loops sticking out. A plasma filament’s lowest energy state is the plasmoid. The merging loops keep it from becoming a chaotic mass, and there aren’t a lot of electrons lost in the process.