Capturing Lightning in a Bottle Using a Particle Accelerator

The expression “lightning in a bottle” has long been linked with poets and visionaries. Yet, one creator has really gotten it off, using a particle accelerator and a clear two-inch acrylic cylinder to generate the image of lightning: branching electric patterns frozen in a tube, glowing with captured energy.

The piece was created by Electron Impressions, a maker who specializes in Lichtenberg figures, which are patterns made when high-voltage electricity bursts through an insulating material, carving trails that resemble tree-like lightning strikes. These designs are typically found in flat acrylic blocks or sheets, but the idea here was to make a cylindrical version that would give the sense of lightning caught in a bottle.

However, in order to achieve that effect, you must have access to a linear accelerator, which is a machine that fires high-energy electrons that can penetrate the acrylic and deposit charges deep inside without just discharging quickly. These electrons come to a halt at a predetermined moment, accumulating tremendous amounts of voltage (millions of volts) within the material. The charge is then released with a tap, leaving behind the permanent branching patterns.

The problem is that it is difficult to create a uniform design in a cylinder. The electrons deposit charge at a fixed depth from the surface, thus the piece must spin to expose all sides evenly; otherwise, the figure will be utterly unbalanced. So the cylinder requires its own drive mechanism to spin and ensure that electrons strike it evenly.

Things can become problematic since radiation can induce a variety of problems. High-energy electrons may quickly destroy current electronics, thus the rotating mechanism is based on simple, durable components that can endure the powerful beta rays. It employs a brushed DC motor powered by a lead-acid battery, the only type that can withstand the strong radiation. It also uses a thin lead sheet to further shield the battery, as well as 3D-printed parts in black PETG plastic, which turns out to be an excellent material for dealing with high levels of radiation.

The roller system is actually rather simple, like the rollers on a hot dog machine at the neighborhood 7-11. The device employs a few staggered printed wheels to keep the cylinder in place while it rotates at a rapid rate, approximately 150 revolutions per minute. This is quick enough to ensure that the cylinder is exposed to the beam multiple times during the brief exposure, which is often only a second or two.

To manufacture the cylinder, the Electron had to create a unique tube out of clear acrylic. A two-inch diameter tube works nicely, and it was machined from clear material. The inventor created it using CAD software and even made two prototypes to test things out.

Once the system was complete, the rotating cylinder was inserted into the accelerator chamber. They utilized a protected GoPro camera to capture the entire process from the inside, including the blue Cherenkov glow as electrons slammed against the material. One of the two cylinders they constructed was perfectly charged. The second, on the other hand, overloaded and discharged on its own beneath the beam, resulting in some really bizarre and unpredictable patterns.

Finally, once the cylinder has been charged, it is time to discharge the lightning. You achieve this by tapping firmly on the side of the tube, which activates the release and causes the lightning to blast forth instantly. The first successful item featured precisely even, tree-like branches wrapping around the inside of the tube. Because of the way light refracts through the curved surface, the design appears larger and more dramatic than it is.
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