Making “Captured Lightning” (Multi-million volt Lichtenberg Figures)

This shows how we make our “Captured Lightning” sculptures. The video was captured over several years during a number of production runs. In order to make these sculptures, we rent “beam time” on a 5 million electron volt (MeV) particle accelerator. The accelerator injects huge numbers of electrons that penetrate specimens of clear plastic (polymethylmethacrylate, or PMMA). The injected electrons come to a stop 1/4″ – 1/2″ inside the specimens, forming a cloud-like layer of intense negative charge. The charge layer becomes temporarily trapped (similar to charged clouds in a thunderstorm), since PMMA is an excellent electrical insulator. The charged specimens are then carefully discharged by tapping with a metal point. This allows the trapped electrons to suddenly escape, and they surge out in a river-like branched network of lightning-like discharges. The hot discharges create countless branching chains of microscopic fractures and tubes within the PMMA, leaving behind a permanent “fossil” record of the paths originally taken by the discharges. The result is a Captured Lightning sculpture. The scientific name for these patterns is Lichtenberg Figures, and they’re sometimes called “Beam Trees”. Unlike laser art, the branching fractal discharge patterns are different for each sculpture. They are also incredibly detailed – the finest tips are thought to extend down to the molecular level. As with snowflakes, every sculpture is truly a unique work of scientific art, sculpted …