Description: Early production experimental specimen - for testing purposes using excess trim from an acrylic fabrication shop. Only one of this shape, size and dimensions made in a dedicated campaign to explore the phenomenon of dielectric breakdown - electrostatic discharge. This is approximately nine by nine inch overall and just under one inch thick. Notice that there are three discharge points, each providing an "escape" route for the injected electrons that were trapped inside the material. This unique specimen shows the three "patterns" typical of such discharges. The "fractal-like" pattern that most resembles a branched "tree"; the other the tangled "bush-like" lines interwoven more like a brier patch. And the "transition" pattern where the tree and bush meet up. All perform the same function - to provide a path from all internal regions to find their way out of the polymer into the open air. As a test piece, the sides of the cutout (band-saw cut) have NOT been sanded or polished out. These edge are 'matte' rather than smooth. Some viewers prefer the effect of scattered light from unpolished edges such as this. A competent acrylic fabrication shop can 'flame polish" these edges if desired. The odd overall shape would be a nice challenge for a fabrication technician. (Or leave it as is - buyer choice.) Add a lighted base with either steady or changing colors and all who see it will be amazed. Or present 'as is' and be prepared for some imaginative guesses as to "what" and "how". Large, powerful electron accelerators are needed to inject energetic (several Million Electron Volts) electrical charges deep inside dielectric material, such as this poly methyl methacrylate. When induced to discharge, the 'spark' forms within a few tens of nanoseconds, producing a loud bang, flash of light and leaving the trails inside the material that are created by the trillions of electrons escaping the polymer. Has conduction channels; fractal-like networks; star-burst stalks; conchoidal fractures typical of amorphous (not having crystal planes.) Videos are on line showing such discharges. External magnifications can show multiple levels of exquisite detail. Macro-photography can yield unlimited variety of images for examination, study, and wonderment. Would serve as a centerpiece of a scientific, technology and display art collection. A most special gift for a connoisseur of beauty, art, science, and history. Such electrostatic discharge patterns were first discovered in 1777 by the pioneer scientist and experimentalist, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742-1799). He was also known as a mentor to many accomplished researchers in multiple fields at the dawn of objective science. He may have been most remembered as a writer of aphorisms; which showed him as an original thinker and observer of nature and human behavior. His personal biography is a wonder in itself.
Price: 50 USD
Location: Ballston Spa, New York
End Time: 2024-12-02T18:56:27.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Type: Sculpture
Lichtenberg Figure: Electron Tree
Spark Tree: Electrical Discharge
Lightning Sculpture: Lightning Tree
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
