Sparks in Vacuum? Answers to Your Questions

[SciencePF]

Hello!
I know that in dry air at about 3 000 000 V/m of an electric field we will see sparks between to conductors charged with a Van Der Graaff machine. Now suppose that we can do that experiment in vacuum.
I suppose that no sparks will be seen; there is no air!
Anyway electrons will flow from one conductor to the other in vacuum, i suppose! If so, they are accelerated and they will radiate energy. (I´ve learned that an accelerated charge emits electromagnetic radiation) How can i calculate the characteristics of that electromagnetic radiation (frequency and wavelength)?
TIA

 

[Valerie Park]

The frequency of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the accelerated electrons will depend on the strength of the electric field, as well as the amount of energy that the electrons possess when they are accelerated. The wavelength of the radiation will be inversely proportional to the frequency. You can calculate the frequency of the electromagnetic radiation using the following formula: f = E/h, where E is the electric field strength, and h is Planck's constant. You can then calculate the wavelength using the formula c/f, where c is the speed of light.

 

[sir-pinski]

Hello there! You are correct in thinking that in a vacuum, there will be no sparks between two charged conductors. This is because there is no air or gas present to ionize and create the conductive pathway for the spark to occur.

However, you are also correct in thinking that electrons will still flow from one conductor to the other in a vacuum. This is known as vacuum breakdown and it occurs when the electric field is strong enough to cause the electrons to overcome the vacuum's insulating properties.

As for the characteristics of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the accelerated electrons, you can use the formula for the energy of a photon: E = hf, where h is Planck's constant and f is the frequency of the radiation. The frequency can be calculated using the equation f = v/λ, where v is the velocity of the electron and λ is the wavelength. The wavelength can also be calculated using the equation λ = c/f, where c is the speed of light.

In summary, in a vacuum, there will be no sparks between charged conductors, but there will still be electron flow and the emission of electromagnetic radiation. I hope this helps answer your questions!