Experiments were carried out with the use of a specialized TV
system, developed together with specialists from plant
"Electron". The essential features are shown in Fig.1.The sliding
discharge from the object under study propagates
along the outer surface of a transparent fiber-glass disc, which has
a conductive metallic net on its inner surface. The
specially-designed pulsed high-voltage from the "Crown" generator is
supplied to this net. A TV matrix underneath the
disk picks up the image and relays it to the computer and monitor
via a standard video-blaster.
This system allows us not only to get single pictures of the corona,
but to study the dynamics of its changes in real time
by means of a sequence of shots. The Videoblaster SE-100 (Creative
Labs) used in these experiments, allowed us to save
up to 10 shots per second. Since only 0.02s was required for each
exposure, this meant that, with an impulse
repetition-frequency of 1,000Hz, a total of only 200 impulses were
applied every second. These parameters were chosen
on the principle of maximising the information obtained for the
minimum influence to the object under study [2]. The data
were processed with the "Kirlian Image Processor" program, developed
by the authors.
Observing the dynamics on the computer screen, we could see how, for
an object without strong surface or volume
heterogeneity (an earthed metal polished cylinder) discharge
streamers developed in even and stochastic manner along
the surface while, for an irregular object, the streamers had
distinct localisation points.
Plant materials have been studied in two ways: either picked off or
still attached to the plant. In the first case were
studied pine needles picked off from the freshly cut twig. With
scissors or tip of a needle a 3-4 mm length was cut off,
pinned by a steel grounded pin, and placed on the visualisation
electrode. Voltage was applied and the corona observed
on the screen.