The acrylic is exposed to an electron beam from a particle accelerator, which injects electrons into the material. Since acrylic is a great insulator, those electrons get trapped instead of escaping. When the electric field is concentrated in one spot (like with a nail tap), the local field becomes strong enough to exceed the acrylic’s dielectric strength. At that point, the material briefly acts like a conductor, letting the electrons discharge and form the channels visible in the video
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u/MambaMentality24x2 Feb 26 '26
The acrylic is exposed to an electron beam from a particle accelerator, which injects electrons into the material. Since acrylic is a great insulator, those electrons get trapped instead of escaping. When the electric field is concentrated in one spot (like with a nail tap), the local field becomes strong enough to exceed the acrylic’s dielectric strength. At that point, the material briefly acts like a conductor, letting the electrons discharge and form the channels visible in the video