Lichtenberg Lab simulates Lichtenberg figures — the branching, tree-like patterns created when high-voltage electrical discharges propagate through insulating materials. Named after Georg Christoph Lichtenberg who first observed them in 1777, these fractal patterns appear in lightning strikes, dielectric breakdown, and electron-beam irradiated acrylic.
The shader creates Lichtenberg patterns using multi-scale domain-warped noise channels that form fractal branching structures. The growth animates from a seed point outward, with branches splitting and thinning as they propagate — mimicking the stochastic path selection of real dielectric breakdown. Exponential glow falloff creates the hot channel appearance, with bright white cores fading through blue to faint outer halos.
Interactive controls adjust branching density, growth speed, glow intensity, seed point position, and the underlying material appearance. The animated growth reveals how electrical discharge selects paths of least resistance through the medium.