Electrical Fields 🤝 The Real World

Before you start reading this post, we suggest that you read the “Understanding The Unit of Fields” blog prior, as the information written in that post is vital to understanding this post. Now, let's get started 😁.

We are first going to look at the applications of electric fields but before we look at the applications, please take a look at the equations of electric fields below. We have discussed these equations in the previous article called “Understanding The Unit of Fields”.

Let’s get into the applications. We are going to look at, particle accelerators, air filters, photocopiers, and how electrical fields are used to stimulate the nervous system.

Electrical Stimulation of The Nervous System

Electrical fields are constantly used in the process of electrically stimulating the nervous system. Pulsed and low frequency alternating current fields, applied with either implanted or surface electrodes are being used to stimulate or suppress neural activity. In Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), electrodes can be surgically implanted into specific areas of the brain to apply pulse and signals that suppress endogenous signals that produce Parkinson’s disease tremors or epileptic seizures. The neurostimulator which is connected to the electrodes is usually implanted under the collar bone. DBS is mostly applied as a supplement to regular medications and only after the medication can no longer provide relief of symptoms. Over time, the electrodes can become coated and may need to be replaced.

Electrical stimulation has constantly been found to be successful in restoring muscular functionality in patients who have suffered a major spinal cord injury. The way this works is although the spinal cord has been damaged, the muscular system that usually stimulates may still be undamaged. If the electrical signals can be transmitted to those muscles, they could potentially respond as usual. Electrical stimulation can be applied to the peripheral nervous system or direction to the spinal cord. In terms of peripheral stimulation, electrodes are usually implanted into the tissue closer to the nerves and if that is not possible, surface electrodes are used. Bipolar pulses are used in order to prevent electrochemical damage to the tissue near the electrodes. Complex movements such as grasping by the hands require the stimulation by multiple nerves in a particular temporal pattern. It is for this reason that the power supply must generate pre-programmed separate signals to the individual neurons.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a treatment by which low-frequency pulses are applied by skin electrodes to reduce pain. Despite the electrodes usually being placed at the site of pain, the primary effects appear to be as a result of stimulation of the central nervous system. The lower frequency (<10 Hz) pulses are applied with a relatively high intensity to produce non-painful motor contraction whereas the high frequency (>50 Hz) is applied with relatively low intensity and does not produce contractions. Both stimulus types activate opioid receptors in the spinal cord and brain that reduce pain, but the type of opioids produced for the two stimuli are different.

Particle Accelerators

Before we get into an in-depth correlation between electric fields and particle accelerators let’s just briefly go over what particle accelerators are and what their purpose is. A particle accelerator is a machine that accelerates elementary particles, such as electrons or protons, to very high energies. On a basic level, particle accelerators produce beams of charged particles that can be used for a variety of research purposes. Particle accelerators are essential tools of discovery for particle and nuclear physics and for sciences that use x-rays and neutrons, a type of neutral subatomic particle. The way particle accelerators work is using strong electric fields, the electric potential energy of a beam of particles can be increased and held unit ready for launch. The direction is determined by magnetic fields, however, the velocity itself is derived from Coulomb’s Law and the electrical potential energy equations. Electric fields spaced around the accelerator switch from positive to negative at a given frequency, creating radio waves that accelerate particles in bunches. Particles can either be directed to a fixed target, such as a thin piece of metal foil, or two beams of particles can collide. Particle detectors record and reveal the particles and radiation that are produced by the collision between a beam of particles and the target.

Let’s go a bit deeper into how particle accelerators benefit different industries and roles. First, we will start with particle accelerators and their use in basic science. As mentioned earlier, particle accelerators are essential tools of discovery for particle physics, nuclear physics, and sciences that use x-rays and neutrons, a type of neutral subatomic particle. Additionally, particle physics, also known as high-energy physics, asks basic questions about the universe. Particle accelerators act as the primary tool in particle physics, as particle physicists have achieved a deep understanding of fundamental particles and physical laws that govern matter, energy, space, and time as a result of particle accelerators.

Let’s take another aspect of how particle accelerators improved consumer products. Globally, hundreds of industrial processes use particle accelerators. From the manufacturing of computer chips to the cross-linking of plastic for shrink wrap. Electron-beam applicants essentially depend on the modification of material properties, such as the alteration of plastics, for surface treatment, and for pathogen destruction in medical sterilization and food irradiation (the application of ionizing radiation to food). Ion-beam accelerators, which accelerate heavier particles, are extensively used in the semiconductor industry in chip manufacturing and in gardening the surfaces of materials such as artificial joints.

Finally, the last aspect I would like to look at is how particle accelerators are used in medical applications. Billions of patients receive accelerated-based diagnoses and therapy each year in hospitals and clinics around the world. We can essentially break it down into two primary roles that particle accelerators play in medical applications: the production of radioisotopes for medical diagnosis and therapy, and as sources of beams of electrons, protons and heavier charged particles for medical treatment. We learned about radioisotopes in grade 11 physics, but to continue on, the wide range of half-lives of radioisotopes and their differing radiation types allow optimization for specific applications. Isotopes emitting x-rays, gamma rays or positrons are able to act as diagnostic probes. Furthermore, emitters of beta rays, electrons, and alpha particles deposit most of their energy close to the site of the emitting nucleus and serve as a therapeutic solution to destroy cancerous tissue. Radiation therapy by external beams has developed into a highly effective method for treating cancer patients that are used worldwide. The vast majority of these irradiations are now performed with microwave linear accelerators producing electron beams and x-rays. Accelerator technology, diagnostics and treatment technique developments over the past 50 years have increased the improvement rate for clinical outcomes tremendously. A statistic shows that as of the current day, 30 proton and three carbon-ion-beam treatment centers are in operation worldwide, with many new centers on the way to help more people.

Funny enough, as you can see, electric fields play a big factor in particle accelerators, and particle accelerators really do have a big impact on your life whether you know it or not.

Air Filters (Electrostatic Precipitators)

Air Filters are also known as electrostatic precipitators work using the relationship between electrical charges. Essentially what happens, is the electrostatic part of the process places an excess positive charge on smoke, dust, poller, and other particles in the air and then passes the air through an oppositely charged grid that attracts and retains the charged particles. Electrostatic precipitators come in large sizes and small. Large electrostatic precipitators are used industrially to remove the particles from stack gas emissions associated with the burning of coal and oil. Smaller electrostatic precipitators, used in homes, often with the home heating and air conditioning system, are very effective in removing polluting particles, irritants, and allergens. To understand the efficiency of air filters, let’s use Coulomb’s Law, the topic I did for my teaching assignment. The filter that filters out the particles from the airstream must have an electrical field that can create a strong enough force to reach the particles that are far away from them. This is a fundamental reason why houses and buildings with high-quality ventilation have multiple air filters. Putting this into perspective, we know that the strength of the electrical force is inversely proportional to the distance squared, therefore the manufacturers of air filters have to be very vigilant to make the electrical field unnoticeable yet strong enough to pick up unwanted air particles. It really shows how difficult these manufacturers have to work to meet the social demands of these filters living up to standards of clean air yet still making sure the size of the air filter is feasible to fit within homes.

Photocopiers

A photocopier is a prime example of electric fields in the real world. Photocopiers use electric fields to run an image copying process using positive charges called Xerography. Let’s go through this process of Xerography. Within a photocopier, there is an instrument called a drum. The drum, which is located in the heart of a photocopier, is positively charged using static electricity. An image of the master copy is transferred onto the drum using a laser. The light parts of the image (the white areas on a piece of paper) lose their charge so become more negative, and the black areas of the image (where the text is) remain positively charged. The toner is negative therefore is attracted to the positive areas sticks to the black areas of the image on the drum. For colour copies, the drum attracts the cyan, magenta and yellow and black toner, and from these four colours, a wide range of colours can be formed. The resulting toner on the drum is transferred to a piece of paper, which has a higher negative charge than the drum. The toner is then melted and bonded to the paper using heat and pressure rollers. Then, finally, your photocopied document comes out of the copier and because heat is used, the paper that comes out of a copier is warm and crisp.

Thanks for reading this blog post and understanding the intersection between electrical fields and the real world. Feel free to check out the rest of our blog posts.