“Lightning in a bottle” is a branching electrical-discharge pattern trapped inside acrylic—not weather lightning sealed in glass. In the cylindrical example reported by Hackaday, Electron Impressions rotated an acrylic cylinder while a linear accelerator exposed it to an electron beam, helping distribute charge around the cylinder before a discharge formed the lightning-like pattern.
What a Lichtenberg figure is
A Lichtenberg figure is a branching trace left when electrical charge breaks down an insulating material. In these sculptures, that material is acrylic: energetic electrons accumulate inside it, and a later discharge leaves permanent internal channels. Captured Lightning, a specialist seller, describes its sculptures as microscopic tubes and fractures formed deep inside polished acrylic.
Acrylic is an electrical insulator, so charge can become trapped rather than flowing away like it would through a conductor. When the internal electric field becomes strong enough, dielectric breakdown occurs: the insulating material gives way along branching paths as charge discharges. The resulting pattern is three-dimensional and fixed within the plastic, rather than printed or painted on its surface.
How the accelerator makes the pattern
Charge the acrylic with energetic electrons
A linear accelerator, often shortened to LINAC, produces an electron beam. When the beam enters a suitable acrylic specimen, some electrons become trapped inside and build up electrical charge. The accelerator is a manufacturing tool here, not a device that leaves the finished sculpture emitting radiation.
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Let the trapped charge discharge
Once the material breaks down electrically, the charge travels through the acrylic along branching routes. Those routes form the visible figure. The paths depend on the specimen and its charging and discharge conditions, so each result can differ rather than repeat a fixed design. Captured Lightning says it can make different branching forms and that complex shapes may be exposed in different orientations.
Why the cylindrical example had to rotate
A beam aimed at a cylinder would not expose every part of its circumference equally from one direction. Hackaday’s December 22, 2025 report says Electron Impressions rotated the featured cylinder during beam exposure to distribute charge around its axis.
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Hackaday describes a roller assembly driven by a lead-acid battery and brushed DC motor. The account says this arrangement was chosen because the beam would damage ordinary electronics. Those details describe that particular build, not a universal manufacturing specification or a do-it-yourself procedure.
Published figures are specific to their own setups
Published examples show the scale and speed of the process, but their figures should not be treated as settings for the cylindrical sculpture. Physics Today, published by the American Institute of Physics, described a 2011 experiment using 5 MeV electrons and a 15 × 15 × 2.5 cm acrylic block. It reported about 200 µC of charge buildup, a discharge lasting 100 ns, a current peak of hundreds of amps, and a discharge speed roughly 1% of the speed of light. These measurements belong to that experiment.
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Jefferson Lab’s October 2007 account describes a different example: approximately 10 MeV electrons from a 25 MeV accelerator were used for about three minutes. Andrew Hutton, then associate director of Jefferson Lab’s Accelerator Division, said the result was “very much like lightning that you see in the sky, but it’s frozen inside.” He also described the permanence as “Whereas, by creating it within the plastic, you get a frozen, 3-D picture.” Neither account establishes the parameters used for Electron Impressions’ cylinder.
Safety: a finished sculpture is not a home high-voltage project
The accelerator exposure and high-voltage discharge used in manufacturing are hazardous processes. Do not treat the fabrication method as a safe home project: the seller warns that making or discharging large specimens can involve dangerous high voltage and recounts an accidental shock during a large specimen’s discharge.
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Captured Lightning says its shipped sculptures are fully discharged, radiation free, and safe. Those are the seller’s statements about its finished products; they should not be generalized to every object or to the manufacturing process.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Displaying and caring for an acrylic figure
Lighting
Captured Lightning offers lighted bases and says lighting from the side or bottom makes the internal pattern easier to see. It cautions that backlighting from a window can reduce visible detail.
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Cleaning and polishing
- For dust, use a damp flannel cloth.
- For fingerprints, use mild soap and water.
- Avoid dry paper towels and tissues, window cleaner, spray waxes, solvents, and scouring compounds.
- For shine, the seller names Novus #2 acrylic polish. It says heavier scratches may require Novus #3 before polishing.
These are the care recommendations published by the seller for its acrylic sculptures.
Where to see or buy one
Captured Lightning describes finished acrylic Lichtenberg figures for sale, including lighted bases and custom options. Availability, pricing, shipping, and customization lead times can change, so check the seller’s current product pages for those details. Hackaday reported that Electron Impressions offered to discuss a large custom cylindrical piece in a comment; that does not establish a standard catalog item or a set price.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Hackaday: report on Electron Impressions’ cylindrical Lichtenberg figure
- Captured Lightning: sculptures and manufacturing description
- Captured Lightning: care recommendations
- Captured Lightning: safety FAQ
- Physics Today / American Institute of Physics: 2011 experiment
- Jefferson Lab: 2007 account
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
