The research presented here describes a unique way to deposit a large amount of charge onto the surface of a thin dielectric sheet to create a Lichtenberg electret that can be discharged elsewhere to form spectacular Lichtenberg figures. This study examines how the amount of charge deposited onto the surface, the geometry of the probes, and the type of material used can all impact the formation of the Lichtenberg figures. Photographs of the Lichtenberg figures were taken and used to determine the voltage, current, and energy released during each discharge. It was found that a single discharge can release 0.49 J of energy in 1.24 μs for a Lichtenberg figure that covers approximately 500 cm2. Lichtenberg figures can be used to characterize high-voltage surges on power lines, to diagnose lightning strike victims, to analyze electrical breakdown of insulating materials, for artistic purposes, and for similar applications where pulsed capacitors are commonly used.
","abstract_html":"<p>The research presented here describes a unique way to deposit a large amount of charge onto the surface of a thin dielectric sheet to create a Lichtenberg electret that can be discharged elsewhere to form spectacular Lichtenberg figures. This study examines how the amount of charge deposited onto the surface, the geometry of the probes, and the type of material used can all impact the formation of the Lichtenberg figures. Photographs of the Lichtenberg figures were taken and used to determine the voltage, current, and energy released during each discharge. It was found that a single discharge can release 0.49 J of energy in 1.24 μs for a Lichtenberg figure that covers approximately 500 cm<sup>2</sup>. Lichtenberg figures can be used to characterize high-voltage surges on power lines, to diagnose lightning strike victims, to analyze electrical breakdown of insulating materials, for artistic purposes, and for similar applications where pulsed capacitors are commonly used.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wood, Monika"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Physics and Astronomy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Patrick Koehn, Ph.D.","James Sheerin, Ph.D.","Ernest Behringer, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-05-29T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-05-29T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:06Z","subjects":["Dielectric","Dielectric Barrier Discharge","Electret","Electric Discharge","Embed Charge","Lichtenberg Figure","Physics"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/713","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Patrick Koehn, Ph.D.","James Sheerin, Ph.D.","Ernest Behringer, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wood, Monika"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-07-18T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Physics and Astronomy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Dielectric","Dielectric Barrier Discharge","Electret","Electric Discharge","Embed Charge","Lichtenberg Figure","Physics"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/713"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The research presented here describes a unique way to deposit a large amount of charge onto the surface of a thin dielectric sheet to create a Lichtenberg electret that can be discharged elsewhere to form spectacular Lichtenberg figures. This study examines how the amount of charge deposited onto the surface, the geometry of the probes, and the type of material used can all impact the formation of the Lichtenberg figures. Photographs of the Lichtenberg figures were taken and used to determine the voltage, current, and energy released during each discharge. It was found that a single discharge can release 0.49 J of energy in 1.24 μs for a Lichtenberg figure that covers approximately 500 cm2. Lichtenberg figures can be used to characterize high-voltage surges on power lines, to diagnose lightning strike victims, to analyze electrical breakdown of insulating materials, for artistic purposes, and for similar applications where pulsed capacitors are commonly used.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Charging and discharging of Lichtenberg electrets"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Patrick Koehn, Ph.D.","James Sheerin, Ph.D.","Ernest Behringer, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Wood, Monika"],"dc:date.available":["2017-07-18T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The research presented here describes a unique way to deposit a large amount of charge onto the surface of a thin dielectric sheet to create a Lichtenberg electret that can be discharged elsewhere to form spectacular Lichtenberg figures. This study examines how the amount of charge deposited onto the surface, the geometry of the probes, and the type of material used can all impact the formation of the Lichtenberg figures. Photographs of the Lichtenberg figures were taken and used to determine the voltage, current, and energy released during each discharge. It was found that a single discharge can release 0.49 J of energy in 1.24 μs for a Lichtenberg figure that covers approximately 500 cm2. Lichtenberg figures can be used to characterize high-voltage surges on power lines, to diagnose lightning strike victims, to analyze electrical breakdown of insulating materials, for artistic purposes, and for similar applications where pulsed capacitors are commonly used.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/713"],"dc:subject":["Dielectric","Dielectric Barrier Discharge","Electret","Electric Discharge","Embed Charge","Lichtenberg Figure","Physics"],"dc:title":["Charging and discharging of Lichtenberg electrets"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Physics and Astronomy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:06Z"}