Gas discharge properties have been calculated, considering electrons, negative ions, positive ions and the metastable singlet delta oxygen molecules, to assess the possibility of ball lightning resulting from an electrical discharge. It is found that if the metastable molecules have very large densities of the order of 10¹⁷ cm⁻³, a stable ball-like plasma of electrons, positive ions, negative ions and metastable molecules is obtained, with electron densities of ~10¹¹ cm⁻³. The ball can exist independent of the electrodes. There is an equilibrium within the ball between the detachment of electrons from negative ions by the metastables and the re-attachment of electrons to oxygen atoms reforming negative ions. As the ball is highly conducting, electric fields within the ball are very low. Such a high density of metastable molecules could be accumulated from corona pulses from a high voltage point within any structure such as a house or aircraft fuselage. Large electric fields would be present at the tips of such metal conductors within an ambient electric field existing during a thunderstorm. It is also calculated that significant electric fields exist at the edges of the plasma ball to match the ball potential with the ambient potential and that these fields can be sufficient to excite further metastable molecules and increase the ball lifetime.

考虑到电子，负离子，正离子和亚稳态单重态δ氧分子，已经计算出气体放电特性，以评估由放电导致的球状闪电的可能性。发现如果亚稳分子的密度非常大，约为10 ¹⁷  cm ^-3，则可以获得稳定的电子，正离子，负离子和亚稳分子的球形等离子体，电子密度约为10 ¹¹  cm ⁻³。球可以独立于电极而存在。在电子之间，亚稳态的负离子使电子脱离，以及电子与氧原子的重新附着使负离子重新形成平衡。由于球具有高导电性，因此球内的电场非常低。如此高密度的亚稳分子可以从任何结构（例如房屋或飞机机身）内的高压点产生的电晕脉冲中积累。在雷暴期间存在的环境电场中，此类金属导体的尖端会出现大电场。