Lichtenberg figures (captured lightning)

**ssrattus** · 09-03-08, 09:57 PM

These look great! The "lightning" is permanently captured in the acrylic ball in the example below. It is lit from below to give it an almost real look.

Has anyone seen or played around with this in real life?

Quote:

Lichtenberg figure
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lichtenberg figures (Lichtenberg-Figuren, or "Lichtenbergian Dust Figures") are branching electric discharges that sometimes appear on the surface or the interior of insulating materials. They are named after the German physicist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, who originally discovered and studied them. When they were first discovered, it was thought that their characteristic shapes might help to reveal the nature of positive and negative electric "fluids". In 1777, Lichtenberg built a large Electrophorus in order to generate high voltage static electricity through induction. By discharging a high voltage point to the surface of an insulator, he was able to record the resulting radial patterns in fixed dust. By then pressing blank sheets of paper onto these pattens, Lichtenberg was able to transfer and record these images, thereby discovering the basic principle of modern Xerography. This discovery was also the forerunner of modern day plasma physics. Although Lichtenberg only studied 2-dimensional (2D) figures, modern high voltage researchers study 2D and 3D figures (electrical trees) on, and within, insulating materials. Lichtenberg figures are now known to be examples of fractals.

Source: Lichtenberg figure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See here for lots more info http://lichdesc.teslamania.com/

**nomeat** · 09-03-08, 11:12 PM

I have played around with Barry Manilow CDs in the Microwave.

With the right timing you can get a nice Lichtenberg effect but only in 2D of course.

**ssrattus** · 10-03-08, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomeat

I have played around with Barry Manilow CDs in the Microwave.

With the right timing you can get a nice Lichtenberg effect but only in 2D of course.

Yeah have done that too....

**weirdo** · 10-03-08, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomeat

I have played around with Barry Manilow CDs in the Microwave.

With the right timing you can get a nice Lichtenberg effect but only in 2D of course.

Will that work with Barry White cd's aswell?

**ssrattus** · 10-03-08, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weirdo

Will that work with Barry White cd's aswell?

it works with rap, hip hop and that modern version of R & B quite well....

**trash** · 10-03-08, 12:09 PM

Yes, the CD in the microwave trick is always fun.
There are a couple of other ways making different fractals in similar ways with different materials.

I have several lichtenberg figures. This is where I got my best ones from Technical description about how Lichtenberg Figures (or beam trees) are created

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09-03-08, 11:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
nomeat Senior Member iTrader: (0) Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: A dunny in Mid North Coast NSW Posts: 255 Spent time on board: 2 Days and 21:04:23	I have played around with Barry Manilow CDs in the Microwave. With the right timing you can get a nice Lichtenberg effect but only in 2D of course.

10-03-08, 12:09 PM	#6 (permalink)
trash Senior Member iTrader: (0) Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 346 Spent time on board: 2 Days and 19:58:29	Yes, the CD in the microwave trick is always fun. There are a couple of other ways making different fractals in similar ways with different materials. I have several lichtenberg figures. This is where I got my best ones from Technical description about how Lichtenberg Figures (or beam trees) are created

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