Kirlian photography

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Kirlian photography refers to a form of contact print photography, theoretically associated with high-voltage. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who in 1939 accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a source of high voltage, small corona discharges (created by the strong electric field at the edges of the object) create an image on the plate.

Kirlian's work, from 1939 onward, involved an independent rediscovery of a phenomenon and technique variously called "electrography," "electrophotography," and "corona discharge photography." The underlying physics (which makes xerographic copying possible) was explored as early as 1777 by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (see Lichtenberg figures). Later workers in the field included Nikola Tesla; various other individuals explored the effect in the later 19th and early 20th centuries. Yet Kirlian took the development of the effect further than any of his predecessors.

In controversial metaphysical contexts, Kirlian photography, Kirlian energy, and so on, are sometimes referred to as just "Kirlian." Kirlian made controversial claims that his method showed proof of supernatural auras, said to resemble a rough outline of the object like a colorful halo. One of the more striking aspects of Kirlian photography is its reputed ability to illuminate the acupuncture points of the human body^{[citation needed]}. An experiment advanced as evidence of energy fields generated by living entities involves taking Kirlian contact photographs of a picked leaf at set periods, its gradual withering being said to correspond with a decline in the strength of the aura. It is more likely that, as the leaf looses moisture, it becomes less electrically conductive, causing a gradual weakening of the electrical field at the drier edges of the leaf

1 Research
2 Explanations
3 In popular culture
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Research

Kirlian proposed and promoted the idea that the resulting images of living objects were a physical proof of the life force or aura which allegedly surrounds all living beings. This claim was said to be supported by experiments by the Kirlians that involved cutting part of a leaf off —the Kirlian images of such leaves, it was said, still showed the leaves as whole, as though the cutting had never happened.

Researchers at Drexel University, however, have claimed that they were unable to reproduce the effect when the glass used to capture the original leaf was replaced with new glass before the freshly cut leaf was photographed, leading them to conclude that the "cut leaf" phenomenon was caused by microscopic etching in the surface of the glass which occurred during preparing the images of the uncut leaf. They also reported on a number of demonstrable causes such as surface moisture and pressure which can account for much of the variations in color, shape, and size of the resulting image.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to living material, inanimate objects such as coins will also produce images on the film in a Kirlian photograph setup.

In the United States, Dr. Thelma Moss of UCLA devoted much time and energy to the study of Kirlian photography when she led the parapsychology laboratory there in the 1970s.

Current research continues by Dr. Konstantin Korotkov in the Russian University, St.Petersburg State Technical University of Informational Technologies, Mechanics and Optics. [1] Konstantin Korotkov has published several books including "Human Energy Field: study with GDV bioelectrography" 2002, NY, Backbone Publishing Co. and "Light After Life: Experiments and Ideas on After-Death Changes of Kirlian Pictures" 1998, NY, Backbone Publishing Co.

Dr. Konstantin Korotkov uses GDV (Gas Discharge Visualization) based on the Kirlian Effect. GDV instruments use glass electrodes to create a pulsed electrical field excitation (called "perturbation technique") to measure electro-photonic glow. [2]

The Korotkov methods are used in some hospitals and athletic training programs in Russia and elsewhere as preventative measurements for detecting stress. The Russian Academy of Science has approved the GDV techniques and equipment in 1999 for general clinical use. [3]

There has been some published research in peer-reviewed scientific journals regarding GDV and related material, including several articles in the Journal of Applied Physics.

Other people who study this phenomenon are Professor Milhomens in Brazil and Dr. Mandel from Germany.^{[citation needed]}

Kirlian photo of a leaf

Kirlian photo of a fingertip

Kirlian photo of two fingertips

Kirlian photo of a leaf

Kirlian photo of two coins

[edit] Explanations

The accepted explanation among scientists is that the images produced are those typically caused by a high voltage corona effect, similar to those seen from other high voltage sources such as the Van de Graaff generator or Tesla coil. In a darkened room, this is visible as a faint glow but, because of the high voltages, the film is affected in a slightly different way from the usual. Color photographic film is calibrated to faithfully produce colors when exposed to normal light. The corona discharge has a somewhat different effect on the different layers of dye used to accomplish this result, resulting in various colors depending on the local intensity of the discharge. ^[1]

Skeptics of the paranormal have long disputed the claims made concerning auras and Kirlian photography.

One of the most disputed studies was actually funded by the US army. During this study, scientist Joe Slate took Kirlian Photographs of the fingertips of both people claiming to be psychic vampires and those identified as their victims. Once the photographs developed they showed the "vampire's" auras to be large and fiery red, while those of their "victims" were smaller and mellow blue. Needless to say, this study is consistently contested.

^ David G. Boyers and William A. Tiller (1973). "Corona discharge photography". Journal of Applied Physics 44: 3102-3112.

[edit] In popular culture

One famous use of Kirlian photography in popular culture is a picture resembling a hand print in the title sequence of the U.S. science fiction TV series The X-Files.

Science fiction author Piers Anthony wrote a series of five books (Cluster, Chaining the Lady, Kirlian Quest, Thousandstar and Viscous Circle) based around the premise of Kirlian transfer, the idea that a person's identity resides in his or her Kirlian aura and can be transferred to a host, in effect transferring the individual into another body. The host must be a sapient being (i.e. non-beast) but may be of the same or different species and may be many light-years away, thus allowing the main character to traverse galaxies at will and "be" a variety of aliens during the course of a single book.

The singer David Bowie revealed an interest in Kirlian photography in the mid-1970s. The concert programme from his 1976 Station to Station tour featured some results of the technique, and in 1975 Bowie claimed to have achieved markedly different results, using his fingertip and his crucifix, before and after he took cocaine.

The first piece of the album "MIX-UP" released in 1979 by the British band Cabaret Voltaire is named "Kirlian photograph".

In the movie Omen IV, Delia's babysitter, Jo, takes Delia to a psychic carnival where she and Delia had their picture taken with a Kirlian camera. The picture came out with Delia's dark and evil aura overtaking Jo's lighter, greenish aura.

The musical artist Benn Jordan's eighth album is titled Kirlian Selections, in reference to his electric-influenced music style.

In the comic book The Authority, team member Apollo is said to have a "Kirlian aura."

Kirlia, a species of psychic-type Pokémon, is named after Semyon Kirlian.

In the World of Darkness book Project Twilight, Kirlian photography is one of the methods available to government vampire hunters to detect ghosts, spirits and auras.