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This article traces the spread and development of the motif of the ouroboros , or circular serpent, and proposes that it originated in descriptions of an intense aurora. The earliest artistic examples of the ouroboros date to ±5000–±3000 BCE. The theme proliferated in Egypt and spread to the classical world during the Hellenistic period. In the earliest traditions, emphasis was on the ouroboros' associations with the sun god, the creation of the world, the circular ocean, darkness or underworld thought to surround the earth, and a mythical combat. From late antiquity onwards, the ouroboros acquired more sophisticated meanings, including a link with the ecliptic band or the zodiac, the lunar nodes, the alchemical process, and eternity. In China, the ouroboros largely remained a purely decorative motif, while its most common role in the equatorial regions of America, Africa and Oceania was as a form of the cosmic ocean. In reviewing hypotheses concerning the origin of the motif, we consider the antiquity of the theme, its near-universality, its geographic link with the outermost boundary of the visible world, and aspects of the dragon's prosopography—such as its precious orb, its filamentation, its twin aspect, and its radiant color scheme. It is proposed that the archetype was inspired by a surge of intense auroral phenomena including a plasma instability type known as a diocotron instability, witnessed by human beings towards the end of the Neolithic period.

The discovery that objects from the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age carry patterns associated with high-current Z-pinches provides a possible insight into the origin and meaning of these ancient symbols produced by humans. Part I deals with the comparison of graphical and radiation data from high-current -pinches to petroglyphs, geoglyphs, and megaliths. Part I focused primarily, but not exclusively, on petroglyphs of some 84 different morphologies: pictures found in laboratory experiments and carved on rock. These corresponded to mankind's visual observations of ancient aurora as might be produced if the solar wind had increased (T. Gold) at times between one and two orders of magnitude, millennia ago. Part II focuses on the source of light and its temporal change from a current-increasing Z-pinch or dense-plasma-focus aurora. Orientation and field-of-view data are given as surveyed and contributed from 139 countries, from sites and fields containing several millions of these objects. This information allows a reconstruction of the auroral form presumably associated with extreme geomagnetic storms and shows, based on existent geophysical evidence, plasma flow inward at Earth's south polar axis.

Observations of neutral hydrogen (H I) emission profiles produced by gas in the local interstellar medium are found to be characterized by four linewidth regimes. Dominant and pervasive features have widths on average of 5.2, 13, and 31 km/s, and a very broad component approximately 50 km/s wide. A striking coincidence exists between these linewidths and the magnitudes of the critical ionization velocities of the most abundant atomic species in interstellar space: 6 km/s for sodium and calcium; 13 km/s for carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen; 31 km/s for helium; and 51 km/s for hydrogen. The data relate to observations near neutral hydrogen structures that are filamentary.

Highlights are presented from among the many contributions made by Oscar Buneman to the science, engineering, and mathematics communities. Emphasis is placed not only on "what" this pioneer of computational plasma physics contributed but, of equal importance, on "how" he made his contributions. Therein lies the difference between technical competence and scientific greatness. The picture which emerges illustrates the open-mindedness, enthusiasm, intellectual/physical stamina, imagination, intellectual integrity, interdisciplinary curiosity, and deep humanity that made this individual unique. As a gentleman and a scholar, he had mastered the art of making cold technical facts "come to life." Oscar Buneman died peacefully at his home near Stanford University on Sunday, January 24th, 1993. The profound influence he has had on so many of his colleagues guarantees his immortality. >

Fine detail comparisons of experimental and high fidelity computer simulations of MHD Z-pinch column instabilities; show that these configurations were carved by mankind on rock in antiquity. This recognition has led to a global survey of these objects in 139 countries, from 70°N to 48°S.1,2,3,4 In all cases, after a survey of fields of several million petroglyphs, the field-of-view (FOV) alignment is found to be within 1° of true south. A complete survey of the rock art on Easter Island, especially from caves in the vast braided lava tube system validated an earlier study: that the artists had a narrow field-of-view of synchrotron light within half-a-degree of true south and an inclination between 22 – 31 degrees above the horizon.

The identification of prehistoric petroglyphs as artists recordings of MHD Z-pinch column instabilities has led to a global survey of these in 139 countries, from 70°N to 48°S. In all cases, after a survey of fields of several million glyphs, the field-of-view (FOV) alignment is found to be within 1° of true south. This accuracy was determined from south-viewing caves in the Arnold Lave Tube system in Oregon and California, caves along 300 km of the Orinoco River in Venezuela, and the braided lava tube caves of Easter Island. Each unmoved petroglyph is treated as a pixel containing GPS position, survey transit FOV, and angle of inclination. GIS techniques on a 1-petaflop computer allow the reconstruction of a virtual image of the multi-gigaampere aurora. The reconstructed image shows one plasma column into the true South Pole at Antarctica. As the very intense solar storm appears sporadic, and its duration is very long compared to milder storms, it is not known if it was periodic, that is, if a north column once existed and evidence eroded due to time. Corroborating these results were witnesses of the polar storm of 1859 who reported 'figures in the sky as if drawn with fire on a black background'. Unexpected were the 2008 observations of the THEMIS spacecraft whose discoveries were contrary to long standing views of how and when solar plasma enters the Earth's magnetosphere. A northward IMF orientation was found to allow 20 times more solar wind plasma to penetrate the magnetosphere when the sun's magnetic field is aligned with that of the Earth.

On January 14, 2008 the NASA space probe Messenger came within 200-km of Mercury, photographing a plasma focus discharge penumbra etched into the surface. The pattern recorded is identical to that etched on steel plates in experimental discharges: 112-rays from a discharge channel terminating at and producing a thick torus, here 40 km wide. The rays emanate from the 2-3 GA termination as shown in the bottom figure, the etched lines differing from radial overlay lines only by surface conductivity irregularities. Previously, we reported the observation of a surface-traveling, infrared-radiating, plasma focus penumbra on the Jovian satellite Io whose effluent concentrated into filaments whose terminus was a narrow, well-defined, concentric annulus

The survey of overlaying granite boulders along 300 km of the Orinoco River: caves with views in all directions is reported. From the data found, the artist view was plusmn5deg polar south, the direction of aurora synchrotron radiation seen above Antarctica.

The radiation spectrum for synchrotron-emitting electrons in galactic-sized Birkeland current filaments is analyzed. It is shown that the number of filaments required to thermalize the emission spectrum to blackbody is not reduced when a non-Maxwellian electron distribution is assumed. If the cosmic background radiation (CBR) spectrum (T=2.76 K) is due to absorption and re-emission of radiation from galactic-sized current filaments, higher-order synchrotron modes are not as highly self absorbed as lower-order modes, resulting in a distortion of the blackbody curve at higher frequencies. This is especially true for a non-Maxwellian distribution of electrons for which the emission coefficient at high frequencies is shown to be significantly less than that for a Maxwellian distribution. The deviation of the CBR spectrum in the high-frequency regime may thus be derivable from actual astrophysical parameters, such as filamentary magnetic fields and electron energies in the model. >

In previous publications [Peratt, A.L., 2003; Peratt, A.L., et al., 2007], the reconstruction of a virtual image of an intense auroral storm recorded in prehistory from a worldwide logging of petroglyphs (GPS, orientation, and inclination) is showing plasma sheath filamentation into 56 currents at the south polar horn. Below the horn, a convergence via Ampere's law to 28 filaments is seen at a pinch plasmoid, followed by lesser numbers of merged filaments at a second plasmoid. Near Earth, the filaments merge to four in a magnetic fusion confinement quadrupole before spreading out to 56 currents that then flow over and around the Earth. The self magnetic field trap follows the analysis given by Akasofir and the picture, as seen from about 45degN-25degS, well-documented in Mesoamerica and the Middle-East, is that of an "quincunx", the outer objects being the four currents while the inner object is trapped thermonuclear plasma. All objects were seen in synchrotron light. Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are replicating a great number of petroglyphs from the rapidity of the plasma within the quadrupole. For example, the right frame shows a typical quincunx pattern of 'four birds' as depicted on a clay tablet unearthed in the Midwestern U.S. On the left is one of many Three Rivers 'bird figures', a single part of a quadrupole representative of the numerous complete quincunx's carved at this site.

Summary form only given. With precise petroglyph fields-of-view polar south from our loggings at Valcamonica, Italy (10degE, 46degN), the need is to augment our data sets of the North American and European continents (10degE-130degW, 30deg-56degN) with longitudes opposite and a range of latitudes. Preliminary data from South Korea and Thailand (M.A.V.S) are shown. Sites at Sugok-ri, Imdong-Myeon, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Bangudae, San 234-1, Daegok-ri, Eonyang-eup, Ulsan, Ulju-gun, Stone, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Cheonjeon-ri, San 210, Cheonjeon-ri, Dudong-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do, were surveyed. The results are preliminary and typical of the Sugok-ri site (129degE, 36.6degN) south channel

Summary form only given. The concept of a critical ionization velocity (CIV) was first introduced by Alfven (1942) as a necessary ingredient of his theory of the formation of the Solar System. As a neutral gas moves through a magnetized plasma, a strong interaction and a rapid ionization of the neutrals takes place if the relative velocity exceeds a certain critical threshold. This "critical velocity" /sup V/c was given by the velocity at which the neutral gas particles with mass M have a kinetic energy equal to their ionization energy /sup eV/i. The observation that the so-called 'clouds' of galactic neutral hydrogen (0.0001 degree of ionization) are actually filamentary in high resolution radiotelescope data led to the discovery that the linewidths of the atomic species in the presence of the self-field of the current-conducting filaments (cosmic z-pinches) fall precisely where predicted by the CIV effect. The H I emission linewidths of the Leiden-Dwingeioo 1996 Survey are figured. Moreover, the infall of neutral gases and their subsequent ionization forces the newly ionized plasma to flow and brake along the magnetic field lines. The subsequent thermalization should then be apparent in the band linewidths at a filament and this is what is observed in the data.

A past intense solar outburst and its effect on Earth was proposed by Gold (1962 Pontificiae Acad. Sci. Scr. Varia 25 159) who, along with others, based his hypotheses on strong astronomical and geophysical evidence. The discovery that objects from the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age carry patterns associated with high-current Z-pinches, as would result from an intense plasma impinging Earth, provides a possible insight into the origin and meaning of these ancient symbols produced by humans. Peratt (2003 Trans. Plasma Sci. 31 1192) dealt with the comparison of graphical and radiation data from high-current Z-pinches to petroglyphs, geoglyphs and megaliths. Peratt (2007 Trans. Plasma Sci. 35 778) focused primarily, but not exclusively, on petroglyphs of some 84 different morphologies; pictures found in laboratory experiments and carved on rock. These corresponded to mankind's visual observations of ancient aurora as might be produced if the solar wind had increased at times between one and two orders of magnitude, millennia ago (Gold 1962 Pontificiae Acad. Sci. Scr. Varia 25 159). In Peratt (2007 Trans. Plasma Sci. 35 778), the data were given on the source of light and its temporal change from a current-increasing Z-pinch or dense plasma focus aurora. Orientation and field-of-view data are given as surveyed and contributed from 139 countries, from sites and fields containing several millions of these objects, the latest data coming from a 300 km survey along the Orinoco river basin in Venezuela. In this paper, we include additional petroglyph figures derivable from experiment and computer. This information allows a reconstruction of the auroral form presumably associated with extreme geomagnetic storms and shows, based on existent geophysical evidence, relativistic electron flow inward at Earth's south polar axis and hypervelocity proton impacts around the north polar axis.

The plasma Universe approach to the structure of the Universe considers space to be filled with a network of currents which can undergo pinch compression. The equilibrium structures of such currents are treated in the same way as the structure in laboratory pinches. The difference, for the galactic case, is that gravitational interaction forces between the particles must be included in the analysis. A simple and straightforward way of achieving this is illustrated. >

To measure and classify the Post-Rosenbluth convective loss-cone instability in MFTF, we propose to use a CO/sub 2/ laser consisting of a TEA-pulsed section and a low pressure CW section, together with a light mixing receiver. Calculations show that this system offers sufficient power and sensitivity to detect instability throughout the range from strong coherent light scattering to weak incoherent scattering when the instability is eliminated.