An analysis of the Brown–Biefeld effect

When a high voltage is applied on an asymmetric capacitor, it experiences a force acting toward its thinner electrode. This effect is called Brown–Biefeld effect (BB), after its discoverers Thomas Townsend Brown and Paul Alfred Biefeld. Many theories have been proposed to explain this effect, and many speculations can be found on the net suggesting the effect is an antigravitation or a space warp effect. However, in the recent years, more and more researchers attribute the BB effect to a unicharge ion wind. This work calculates the levitation force due to ion wind and presents experimental results which confirm the theoretical results.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► The Brown–Biefeld effect is due to ion drift. ► The thrust force is successfully calculated as the force on the space charge. ► The relation between force and current has been established. ► Approximate formula for the force as function of applied voltage has been developed.