Light Saber Farm

Now this is when physics meets new-age art. Richard Box from physics department at Bristol University has planted fluorescent tubes in a farm that give out light due to the electricity leaked by the high tension wires overhead. This project has been named FIELD.

1301 fluorescent tubes illuminated in an English farm due to the high tension wires overhead. The illumination is because of the electricty that "overflows" out of the wires

The high-tension wires are at about 400KV and because the earth is at ground, an electric field is set up between the two. This excites the mercury atoms in the tube and in turn makes the phosphor coating emit light.

The electric field excites Hg atoms, The excited mercury atoms emit UV rays which upon striking the phosphorous coating makes it glow.

Tesla had been working on similar ideas in his last days – wireless transfer of electricity. Altough, Richard Box’s idea is not new (ranchers in mid-west USA are known to use this technique), Box brought it to attention because of his artistic rendition.

This just goes to show how much we lag behind in the handling of electricity. But it did help Box to set up such a marvellous farm.

More at: http://www.richardbox.com/