Reality Check
Penultimate Amazing
Plasma Cosmology proponents often cite this plasma model of galaxy formation and evolution. When the errors in it are pointed out they then ignore these until they have an excuse to cute Peratt yet again (as one poster has stated: "blather, rinse, repeat"). So I have started this thread to reduce the number of repetitions. I will prime the pump with the flaws that I perceive (I am not an expert so there may be errors).
In 1986 Anthony Peratt published a pair of papers in the IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science about a model for galaxy formation and evolution that only included plasma and plasma interactions. This was inspired by experiments with plasmoids where the plasmoids showed galaxy like structures (on a tiny scale). Peratt ran some computer simulations based on these experiments and concluded that the simulations matched observations of galaxies.
His model was that the galaxies start as a bundle of galactic sized plasma filaments each with an electric current running through them. These galactic plasma filaments are estimated to have a width of 35 kiloparsecs (100,000 light years) and a length of from 35 megaparasec to 3.5 gigaparasec (an average length of 350 megaparasec or 1 billion light years).
For simplicity he used pairs of filaments. The interaction between the filaments caused them to twist around each other and distort. The initial distribution of plasma looked like radio images of double lobed radio galaxies. This evolved into distributions that looked like optical images of the various types of spiral galaxies. Later he concluded that his model also explained the rotation of galaxies without dark matter.
The computer simulation was done using a couple of plasma simulation packages - SPLASH and TRISTRAN.
The relevant papers are
The results of the computer simulations are maps of the distribution of plasma particles in a plane through the plasma filaments. These are maps of the distribution of the mass in the galaxies since all of the mass is in plasma. Peratt then proceeds to compare these mass distribution maps to radio and optical images. But
* Radio galaxies are almost universally hosted in elliptical galaxies.
* The reason that spiral galaxies look like they have spiral arms is not because there are actual arms (with no matter in between them) but because they are "arms" of high mass density containing lots of bright young stars. The density of matter in between the arms is 10-20% less than the density of matter in the arms (not 100%).
The mass distribution of elliptical galaxies is ellipsoidal so a plane through them produces various ellipses from nearly a circle to flattened to a large degree.
The mass distribution of spiral galaxies is a central bulge contained within a flat disk along with a near-spherical halo outside the disk and bulge. The mass distribution of a plane running through the disk produces a disk with minor variations in density.
Neither mass distribution matches the results from the computer simulations.
This invalidates the model completely and so we need not really continue. But there are other points that are also relevant.
Gravity in the Model
Gravity is ignored in the SPLASH and TRISTRAN simulation packages. This makes them useful only for situations where gravitational forces can be ignored, i.e. on short time scales or where EM forces are known to dominate. Section IX in Peratt's second paper describes proposed extensions to the three-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulation to include gravitational forces. No further work on these extensions seems to have been done since 1986. If the extensions were developed then there are no reports of them having being applied to the plasma model.
Gravitational forces will always have an effect on the formation and evolution of galaxies since they cannot be shielded like electromagnetic forces. Ignoring gravity is the second fatal flaw in Peratt's model.
Galactic plasma filaments should be easily detected.
The large electric current through them will cause synchrotron radiation. There is no evidence for this. See the forum posting Cluster-sized diffuse radio waveband synchrotron radiation and its footnote:
IMHO the movement of filaments through the intergalactic medium will cause shock waves and detectable X-rays (see below).
There is also the problem of why the filaments are not seen in studies of the mass distribution of matter within galactic clusters using gravitational lensing.
See this posting in the extremely long Plasma Cosmology - Woo or Not thread.
Galactic plasma filaments are not stable.
The SPLASH simulation started with 2 columns that were 32 grids high and 6 wide (the grids defined the spatial extent of the simulation). The 1983 paper describing the SPLASH simulation does mention that periodic boundary conditions are imposed (this essentially makes the simulated filaments infinite in length). So it is possible that the factor of 10,000 between the filament lengths in the simulation and model is not a factor. However in my (limited) knowledge of plasma physics, long filaments of plasma are inherently unstable.
The big problem comes because galaxies are dynamic – they move. Galactic clusters also move. Galaxies collide. Galactic clusters collide. Galaxies pass each other and cannibalize each other. The filaments considered alone may be stable but I cannot see them maintaining themselves when they get close or even collide. Not only could separate filaments collide and short circuit their electric currents but a filament could even collide with itself!
Out of nothing
PC proponents are fond of labeling the Big Bang theory an ex nihilo (out of nothing) argument even though the Big Bang theory does not address the origin of the universe. But they do not condemn a similar ex nihilo argument used twice in Peratt’s model.
The first ex nihilo argument is that the galactic plasma filaments are assumed to come into existence (and to form bundles of parallel filaments) at some point in the past to begin the formation of the galaxies.
The second ex nihilo argument is the electric current through each filament that starts from nothing and goes to nothing. IMHO this assumption is especially bad in physical terms because the electric current will experience losses. There will be synchrotron emission and energy loss to the creation of galactic magnetic fields. This means that there must be an external power source. Laboratories studying plasmoids obviously have external power sources but where are the cosmological power sources in Peratt’s model?
In 1986 Anthony Peratt published a pair of papers in the IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science about a model for galaxy formation and evolution that only included plasma and plasma interactions. This was inspired by experiments with plasmoids where the plasmoids showed galaxy like structures (on a tiny scale). Peratt ran some computer simulations based on these experiments and concluded that the simulations matched observations of galaxies.
His model was that the galaxies start as a bundle of galactic sized plasma filaments each with an electric current running through them. These galactic plasma filaments are estimated to have a width of 35 kiloparsecs (100,000 light years) and a length of from 35 megaparasec to 3.5 gigaparasec (an average length of 350 megaparasec or 1 billion light years).
For simplicity he used pairs of filaments. The interaction between the filaments caused them to twist around each other and distort. The initial distribution of plasma looked like radio images of double lobed radio galaxies. This evolved into distributions that looked like optical images of the various types of spiral galaxies. Later he concluded that his model also explained the rotation of galaxies without dark matter.
The computer simulation was done using a couple of plasma simulation packages - SPLASH and TRISTRAN.
The relevant papers are
- On the evolution of interacting, magnetized, galactic plasmas (1983) for the SPLASH simulation details.
- Evolution of the Plasma Universe: I. Double Radio Galaxies, Quasars, and Extragalactic Jets (1986).
- Evolution of the Plasma Universe: II. The Formation of Systems of Galaxies (1986).
- Rotation velocity and neutral hydrogen distribution dependency on magnetic field strength in spiral galaxies (1995) - no dark matter needed.
The results of the computer simulations are maps of the distribution of plasma particles in a plane through the plasma filaments. These are maps of the distribution of the mass in the galaxies since all of the mass is in plasma. Peratt then proceeds to compare these mass distribution maps to radio and optical images. But
* Radio galaxies are almost universally hosted in elliptical galaxies.
* The reason that spiral galaxies look like they have spiral arms is not because there are actual arms (with no matter in between them) but because they are "arms" of high mass density containing lots of bright young stars. The density of matter in between the arms is 10-20% less than the density of matter in the arms (not 100%).
The mass distribution of elliptical galaxies is ellipsoidal so a plane through them produces various ellipses from nearly a circle to flattened to a large degree.
The mass distribution of spiral galaxies is a central bulge contained within a flat disk along with a near-spherical halo outside the disk and bulge. The mass distribution of a plane running through the disk produces a disk with minor variations in density.
Neither mass distribution matches the results from the computer simulations.
This invalidates the model completely and so we need not really continue. But there are other points that are also relevant.
Gravity in the Model
Gravity is ignored in the SPLASH and TRISTRAN simulation packages. This makes them useful only for situations where gravitational forces can be ignored, i.e. on short time scales or where EM forces are known to dominate. Section IX in Peratt's second paper describes proposed extensions to the three-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulation to include gravitational forces. No further work on these extensions seems to have been done since 1986. If the extensions were developed then there are no reports of them having being applied to the plasma model.
Gravitational forces will always have an effect on the formation and evolution of galaxies since they cannot be shielded like electromagnetic forces. Ignoring gravity is the second fatal flaw in Peratt's model.
Galactic plasma filaments should be easily detected.
The large electric current through them will cause synchrotron radiation. There is no evidence for this. See the forum posting Cluster-sized diffuse radio waveband synchrotron radiation and its footnote:
Peratt makes it clear that he expects the synchrotron radiation from (galactic-sized) "Bennett-pinched filaments" to be observed from the x-ray to the microwave wavebands ... IOW, the plasma processes will generate copious quantities of (highly) relativistic electrons, and the magnetic fields associated with the field aligned currents are strong enough. Needless to say that a lack of synchrotron emission in wavebands other than the radio (and microwave, depending on how you define the bands) is but one more inconsistency between his model and the observed universe.
IMHO the movement of filaments through the intergalactic medium will cause shock waves and detectable X-rays (see below).
There is also the problem of why the filaments are not seen in studies of the mass distribution of matter within galactic clusters using gravitational lensing.
See this posting in the extremely long Plasma Cosmology - Woo or Not thread.
Galactic plasma filaments are not stable.
The SPLASH simulation started with 2 columns that were 32 grids high and 6 wide (the grids defined the spatial extent of the simulation). The 1983 paper describing the SPLASH simulation does mention that periodic boundary conditions are imposed (this essentially makes the simulated filaments infinite in length). So it is possible that the factor of 10,000 between the filament lengths in the simulation and model is not a factor. However in my (limited) knowledge of plasma physics, long filaments of plasma are inherently unstable.
The big problem comes because galaxies are dynamic – they move. Galactic clusters also move. Galaxies collide. Galactic clusters collide. Galaxies pass each other and cannibalize each other. The filaments considered alone may be stable but I cannot see them maintaining themselves when they get close or even collide. Not only could separate filaments collide and short circuit their electric currents but a filament could even collide with itself!
Out of nothing
PC proponents are fond of labeling the Big Bang theory an ex nihilo (out of nothing) argument even though the Big Bang theory does not address the origin of the universe. But they do not condemn a similar ex nihilo argument used twice in Peratt’s model.
The first ex nihilo argument is that the galactic plasma filaments are assumed to come into existence (and to form bundles of parallel filaments) at some point in the past to begin the formation of the galaxies.
The second ex nihilo argument is the electric current through each filament that starts from nothing and goes to nothing. IMHO this assumption is especially bad in physical terms because the electric current will experience losses. There will be synchrotron emission and energy loss to the creation of galactic magnetic fields. This means that there must be an external power source. Laboratories studying plasmoids obviously have external power sources but where are the cosmological power sources in Peratt’s model?
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