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We show that the mysterious and intriguing behavior of ball lightning, observed by many eyewitnesses, is explained on the assumption that ball lightning consists only of light and compressed air. In contrast to a soap bubble, the spherical shell of a ball lightning consists of highly compressed air, in which ordinary white light rotates in all possible directions. Light compresses the air due to optical electrostrictive pressure. In turn, the shell of compressed air is a two-dimensional lightguide that prevents the propagation of light in free space. Thus, ball lightning is a self-confined light in a nonlinear optical medium in the form of the conventional air atmosphere. The light fell into the trap he made for himself. The intensity of the rotating light is more than a billion times greater than that of the light propagating in a straight line. In this case, the optically induced forces, which in normal conditions are extremely small, manifest themselves completely. It is these forces that determine the mysterious behavior of ball lightning in the atmosphere. In numerous publications, we have shown that the behavior of a light bubble and ball lightning are the same, and there are no mysteries in the behavior of ball lightning. The question of the nature of ball lightning resolved. In this article, we analyze the physical processes inside the light bubble and determine the parameters of compressed air, the intensity of light and a magnitude of the electrostriction pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that the mysterious and intriguing property of Ball Lightning to disappear suddenly traceless in any point of its trajectory can be explained in a natural way in a frame of the optical model of Ball Lightning (BL) BL consists of the white light and air only. BL is a ball light or a bubble of light. Unlike a soap bubble, a shell of the light bubble consists of the compressed air where an intense white light is circulating in all possible directions. Due to the electrostriction pressure, the light compresses the air. In turn, the refractive index of the compressed air is greater than that of surrounding space. The compressed air is a spherical lightguide that confines the light from radiation in free space. A reason of a sudden disappearance of BL is the same as for a soap bubble. This is appearance of instability after a certain time. For a soap bubble, this is the thinning and breaking of the soap film. For a light bubble this is a decrease of the light intensity because of light radiation, a corresponding decrease of the refractive index of the compressed air and its ability to confine circulating light. Since time constants of processes accompanied the disappearance is connected with the light speed, the velocity of these processes is great and the light bubble disappear abruptly. The light radiates in free space, the air expands and no trace of BL left. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, it is demonstrated how organic dichroic fluorescent dye molecules embedded in a polymerizable liquid crystal host can be aligned in circular patterns so that sunlight is captured by the fluorophores and the emissions of the dye molecules are all directed primarily towards either a small spot along the edge or towards the center of the plastic lightguide for maximal concentration. By attaching a photovoltaic cell to this spot, the concentrated light can be converted into electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]