Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Lichtenberg figure
open-in-new
<p>A Lichtenberg figure (German: <i>Lichtenberg-Figur</i>), or Lichtenberg dust figure, is a branching <a href="/facts/Electric_discharge/06wCdIrV">electric discharge</a> that sometimes appears on the surface or in the interior of <a href="/facts/Electrical_insulation/SfSXkrh5">insulating materials</a>. Lichtenberg figures are often associated with the progressive deterioration of high-voltage components and equipment. The study of planar Lichtenberg figures along insulating surfaces and 3D <a href="/facts/Electrical_treeing/1qdTl3nE">electrical trees</a> within insulating materials often provides engineers with valuable insights for improving the long-term reliability of high-voltage equipment. Lichtenberg figures are now known to occur on or within solids, liquids, and gases during <a href="/facts/Electrical_breakdown/btrl0FPI">electrical breakdown</a>. </p><p>Lichtenberg figures are natural phenomena that exhibit <a href="/facts/Fractal/sXj38JeN">fractal</a> properties. </p>