Asymmetric Capacitors and Ion Movement

NASA published the paper Asymmetrical Capacitors for Propulsion by Canning et al. and the American Institute of Physics published High Efficiency Lifter Based on the Biefeld-Brown Effect by Einat and Kalderon. The Army Research Laboratory published Force on an Asymmetric Capacitor by Bahder and Fazi.

An asymmetric capacitor is constructed with a large grounded electrode and a positive small electrode. A cloud of electrons is emitted from the large electrode. These electrons are accelerated towards the positive electrode. Some of the electrons hit the electrode but many miss and fly in a ballistic manner upwards past the positive electrode into the dielectric.

Electrons drift down to back-fill the electrons that have moved up. More electrons are emitted from the large electrode.The electrons emitted from the large electrode are accelerated. Momentum is distributed in a sparse manner above the capacitor because of the high velocity of the electrons. Momentum is zero in the region of acceleration. Momentum is downwards and highly concentrated below the large electrode of the capacitor.