Star Trek

Hello to the scientifically inclined:
I'm curious,
what would happen if iron, probably molten, were to be ionized,
so that as many electrons were removed as possible, and it was kept in this state?
Could this be done?
If it has been done, what was the effect?
Was there a drop in temperature close to what was happening?


Also, I saw this magnetic configuration online of four electromagnets, and wondering what it's effect would be:

........................N
........................!
........................!
........................S
........S===N .........N===S
........................S
....................... !
....................... !
....................... N
Notice the placement of N & S, this isn't the same configuration of particle accelerators (?)
Could this be done with a z-coordinate (6 electromagnets?)
Anyone know anything about these things?
Thanks

Quote (SpaceCurious @ Jan. 18 2009, 2:49 am)

Hello to the scientifically inclined: I'm curious, what would happen if iron, probably molten, were to be ionized, so that as many electrons were removed as possible, and it was kept in this state? Could this be done? If it has been done, what was the effect? Was there a drop in temperature close to what was happening? Also, I saw this magnetic configuration online of four electromagnets, and wondering what it's effect would be: ........................N ........................! ........................! ........................S ........S===N .........N===S ........................S ....................... ! ....................... ! ....................... N Notice the placement of N & S, this isn't the same configuration of particle accelerators (?) Could this be done with a z-coordinate (6 electromagnets?) Anyone know anything about these things? Thanks

what does it have to do with gravity?

as for whether this can be done, it can and is observed in stars. See :
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010929.html

interesting effect that ionized iron in stars have very different energy levels than that of normal iron, alter it spectral pattern.

Also ionizated iron (55) is used in some radiation detector.

Iron, either in molten state or as part of a mixture (ie steel), already is ionized.  This is implicit in its natural structure and tendencies.  So to answer 'can it be done' is to say that it already is.  Thus the effect is already evident in the state of observation of iron itself.  Does this mean you can't add conditions to iron to make it create an effect?  Well, that would require causality which is always a lesson in simplification.  Simply put why do you want to see iron perform something different than iron does?