Kirlian Photography

Kirlian photography, pronounced KIHR lee uhn, is the process of creating an image of an object by exposing the object to an electromagnetic field. The process is also known as electromagnetic discharge imaging (EDI). Objects thus photographed appear surrounded by discharges of light. The images may be captured with ordinary photographic methods or by more sophisticated techniques.

Some scientists once suggested that the images seen in Kirlian photographs resulted from the aura or bioplasma, a theoretical energy field said to surround living things. Today, the following process is known to be responsible for Kirlian images: The electromagnetic field causes gas molecules surrounding an object to accelerate and become ionized (electrically charged). It also frees and accelerates electrons and positive ions from the object's surface. The charged particles collide with neutral molecules and atoms, creating more electrons and ions. After a sufficient amount of positive ions has built up, the electrons and ions recombine and emit red, violet, and ultraviolet light. These emissions show up as discharges of light in the photographs.

Kirlian photography can be used to monitor changes in the ions in living tissue. Some scientists believe that such changes indicate physical or psychological changes in the organism. Researchers also have used Kirlian techniques to detect and measure damaged regions in solid materials. But many factors may affect the quality of a Kirlian image, including the temperature and moisture of the object and the surrounding gas.

The photographing of objects exposed to an electric field began in the 1890's. The process was named for the Soviet scientists Semyon and Valentina Kirlian, who began to systematize the technique about 1940.

Contributor: John G. Michopoulos, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, United States Naval Research Laboratory.

Kirlian Photography

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