Plasma Coil Colours

[musliisafish]

So, basically, I was thinking with the army I'm going to get started on that plasma coils would look a lot better in a deep red rather than the traditional blue or green. Is there any reason that plasma coils could not have this hue?

[chromedog]

I do mine as metallic.

 

They are magnetic field constriction coils - not glowy bits. You can't generally see a MAGNETIC field, after all.

(well, unless you are a freaky genetically enhanced 7' tall superfreak).

[musliisafish]

Yeah, but i'm guessing the color perhaps has to do with the heat that these coils reach? I suppose the red would just mean they reach a lower temperature (lower energy level on the light spectrum) unless i'm entirely wrong? in this case they really probably should be blue, but then again, perhaps being mechanicus marines I could have some lower temperature operating plasma back story. Can't really convert into rules, because it's just broken, but for fluff could work.

[Solid Zaku]

Well, given as they are metallic, and shoot a miniature sun every few seconds, I think it would be reasonable to think they would glow red hot.

 

If you want it to get technical, it's likely that the plasma guns coils are a descendant of Induction Welding coils, which look suspiciously like a coil of rope, somewhat like the few coils we can see on the models. This process uses a combination of radio-frequency waves and (most importantly) electromagnetic waves to superheat materials to the point where they can be welded. Additionally, hobbyists who create their own coils are known to put smaller, conductive materials like soda cans into the field coils with rather energetic results. Now, in Induction Welding, the coils themselves do not glow, they just hum very loudly, but it can be assumed within 10,000 years and military applications that these coils would be hotter than the girl next door.

[SquigBait]

Also when metal becomes heated / superheated different alloys 'burn' at a different color, and since there is no one set STC due to the dark age and the major loss of technologies and local re-development of the given tech, who is to say that some variations wouldnt happen.

[averykess]

Just as there are stars of different colors, I am sure you can put pretty much any color on your plasma gun.

 

Besides, it isn't like anyone can grab a real plasma gun and prove you wrong! :D

[Wicksy]

I'll stick my 2 cents in and try to ground this in science. Plasma can be seen. It does emit light in the part of the EM spectrum we can see. For example neon lights and ICP torches....

 

http://midwestrefineries.com/images/Refining%20and%20Assaying/torche2_animated.gif

 

Thats plasma for example ^^

 

So paint your plasma whatever colour you want. That can represent different sources for the base gas you make the plasma from.

[Raven Angel]

Color denotes tempature as in the case of stars with red being cooler and working through orange then yellow then blue then white being the hotest.

[musliisafish]

Thank you all, seems I have the freedom to paint them whatever colour I want, and I am very pleased to see science brought into this

[AngryJohnny]

If you want to use red then go for it. Plasma can be any color depending on the gas used to create the plasma. So if you want red, go for red.

 

http://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=2293

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy00/phy00024.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_gas#Discharge_color

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas-discharge_lamp#Color