YES! Check this business:
Here it is with the color levels adjusted so you can see more:
This is really really exciting.
First thing I learned is you need some gas in that chamber to start a plasma. I started at pressures around 1 e-6 torr and got nothing. What you really need is pressures above 1 e-3 torr. My gauge doesn’t work in this range, so I was flying blind.
I had to install a valve to leak air into the chamber to keep the pressure where I needed it:
Just playing with this device for 10 minutes gave me more of an intuition for plasma than most of the reading I’ve done on the topic.
I’m now one small step away from first fusion. FUCK YEA.
Prometheus Fusion Perfection 
[…] FIRST PLASMA « Prometheus Fusion Perfection prometheusfusionperfection.com/2009/08/29/first-plasma – view page – cached #Prometheus Fusion Perfection RSS Feed Prometheus Fusion Perfection » FIRST PLASMA Comments Feed Prometheus Fusion Perfection The Big Idea Grounding — From the page […]
BTW, how much does this look like that packaging for OS X Leopard!?
That looks great! It reminds me of when I got a plasma working after 6 weeks of trying to fix an RIE machine. I guess you could add an extra Pirani gauge to measure the higher pressures once the gas is inside the chamber. Be careful not to damage your low-pressure gauge if it is sensitive (I can’t remember what type it is).
So what’s the next stage? :D
Thanks! Fortunately the ion gauge “The Hornet” is user friendly and automatically shuts itself off during over-pressure.
Next step is first fusion. Next stage is superconducting polywell.
Congratulations! Looking cool.
[…] As you can see it’s a more of a blue color than the air plasma. […]