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I know this forum is full of electronic and tech geeks like me who will appreciate this kind of stuff. Here is my Lichtenburg Figure I bought recently. It is freaking gorgeous and I can stare at it all day. Basically it's a lightning bolt pattern burned into a piece of acrylic. The detail in the streamers is very cool. These picture just don't do it justice. It costs me about $90. I made the stand. It's just a simple array of blue LEDs to illuminate the pattern.
It was made by irradiating a piece of acrylic with an electron beam. The electrons are fired at the acrylic at a very specific energy level such that the electrons penetrate halfway into the plastic. This crates a plane of very angry electrons which are stuck in place because acrylic is an isolator, which means the electrons cannot flow freely between atoms. Then to crate the lightning pattern they take a sharp electrode and hammer it into the side of the acrylic and this "jolts" the cloud of excess electrons and an instant conducting path is formed in the acrylic and all the electrons are able to violently escape out through the electrode. In like 20 billionths of a second, a million volts, at a thousand amps rush out of the acrylic and make this awesome looking lightning pattern.
My camera sucks so check out this site for better pics and videos of how they're made.
Stoneridge Engineering's Rare Lichtenberg Figure Sculptures - Gallery 1
-Tony
It was made by irradiating a piece of acrylic with an electron beam. The electrons are fired at the acrylic at a very specific energy level such that the electrons penetrate halfway into the plastic. This crates a plane of very angry electrons which are stuck in place because acrylic is an isolator, which means the electrons cannot flow freely between atoms. Then to crate the lightning pattern they take a sharp electrode and hammer it into the side of the acrylic and this "jolts" the cloud of excess electrons and an instant conducting path is formed in the acrylic and all the electrons are able to violently escape out through the electrode. In like 20 billionths of a second, a million volts, at a thousand amps rush out of the acrylic and make this awesome looking lightning pattern.
My camera sucks so check out this site for better pics and videos of how they're made.
Stoneridge Engineering's Rare Lichtenberg Figure Sculptures - Gallery 1
-Tony
