MadSci Network: Physics |
A gas with a net charge would exert additional pressure due to the repulsive force of the charged gas molecules. (Note that this would be a difficult experiment to do, because the gas would tend to neutralize itself by transferring charge to the container.) So far as I know, this experiment has not been done, so I don't know of any empirical formulas to characterize the effects. The volume charge density would not be uniform throughout the gas, because the repelling charges would separate as widely as possible, pushing the charge to the surface of the volume. Thus the effective pressure increase depends on the size and shape of the container. The temperature of the gas would not have to rise, although it's hard to see how one could add charge without adding heat. For example, you might try to charge up the gas by sending a beam of charged particles through it. In this case, the energy of the particle beam would add heat to the gas.
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