Lichtenberg Figure sculpture and Matching Light BaseThe scientific name for the branching pattern inside this Captured Lightning sculpture is a "Lichtenberg Figure". They are sometimes also called Electron Trees or Beam Trees. It was created by injecting a huge amount of electrical charge deep within clear acrylic and then suddenly releasing it to form countless lightning-like internal electrical discharges. The hot discharges leave a permanent record of their passage, creating a "Captured Lightning" figure in a process similar to the way fulgurites are sometimes created within sandy soil during a lightning strike. Lichtenberg Figures are named in honor of Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, the 18th century physicist who first discovered them. Dr. Lichtenberg originally used high voltage discharges from electrostatic machines and finely powdered sulfur and lead oxide to create 2-dimensional dust figures on the surface of electrical insulators, such as resin.
This modern 3-dimensional specimen was created by bombarding acrylic with trillions of high-speed electrons using a high voltage particle accelerator. The accelerator generates a beam of electrons that have been accelerated to as much as 99.5% the speed of light. When these relativistic electrons slam into the acrylic, they easily penetrate the surface, finally coming to rest about half way through the block. This causes a cloud-like region of excess negative charge, called a "space charge", to form in the center of the acrylic block. Since acrylic is an excellent electrical insulator, the injected electrons become temporarily trapped, and a tremendous electrical charge rapidly builds up inside the specimen as the beam injects additional electrons.
The potential of the space charge region grew to over 1.5 million volts in the above sculpture. We then manually initiate breakdown by very carefully(!) poking the charged specimen with a sharp metal point. Trillions of trapped electrons suddenly rush out in a powerful surge of electricity carrying several hundreds of amperes of current. The high-current discharge creates a countless brilliant miniature lightning bolts inside the acrylic, accompanied by a powerful bang. And, as with lightning, the branching, self-similar discharges can be described mathematically as a type of fractal. The fractal dimension of these sculptures is about 1.37. Holding one of our sculptures is about as just about as close as you can come to holding a captured lightning bolt in your hand.
The interior is charged to about 1.5 million volts before being manually dischargedAlthough the miniature "electrical storm" rages within the acrylic for less than 150 billionths of a second, the hot discharges create thousands of permanent microscopic tubes and fractures within the acrylic, forming a beautiful and permanent Lichtenberg Figure. Every sculpture is unique. Newer figures may retain an light amber-colored region (called solarization) on the side hit by the electron beam. Solarization usually fades with time, while the Captured Lightning figure remains as a permanent feature. The lucky buyer will receive a figure of similar quality as the one pictured below, a matching black brushed aluminum light base, and a one-page explanation about how the sculpture was created. Note: The discharge exit point may not always be located in the exact middle of the specimen.
Similar specimen illuminated by sunlight with black velvet background
Your sculpture ships with a matching 4" wide black anodized brushed aluminum base with cool
white LED's and an AC adapter. The standard adapter is 120V US power, but we can optionally
provide adapters for 240 volt UK, EC and Australian power upon request. A 6" wide base
(for displaying specimen horizontally) is also available for $15 more.
Following is a video clip that shows how our Captured Lightning sculptures
are irradiated and discharged - actual footage from some of our production runs:
Our Captured Lightning sculptures are stunning and rare objects of scientific art, and they are only available from us. Very few people have actually seen a Lichtenberg Figure, and far fewer are privileged to own one of these beautiful specimens. The sculpture glows brilliantly when illuminated on an edge by a LED's in a lighted base (not included). The internal fractures behave like little mirrors, causing the discharge paths to sparkle in almost a crystalline fashion so that even the most delicate hair-like tips of the figure are highlighted. The sculpture is best viewed against a dark background. Shining light from behind, such as light through a window, can actually detract from the sculpture's detail and appearance.
Our team of experienced physicists are Lichtenberg Figure experts. Stoneridge Engineering offers Lichtenberg Figures that range in size from affordable 2 x 2 x 3/4 inch squares, gorgeous prisms and cubes with multi-layer discharges, to huge 15 x 20 x 2 inch museum quality specimens. See About Me for further information about Lichtenberg Figures, our amazing Shrunken Coins, and the mad scientist at Stoneridge Engineering. Also, please see our other auctions, including electromagically shrunken coins.
"A physical experiment which makes a bang is always worth more than a quiet one. Therefore a man cannot strongly enough ask of Heaven: if it wants to let him discover something, may it be something that makes a bang. It will resound into eternity." G. C. Lichtenberg 1742-1799
PLEASE NOTE: Items being shipped to countries outside the US may be subject to additional charges (Customs Fees, VAT, or In-Country Mail Service Handling fees). Payment of these fees are the sole responsibility of the buyer.
An ideal item for that amateur scientist, student, or collector on your gift list!
