Simulation of the ball lightning phenomenon

Rendering images of outdoor scenes capturing the magnificence of the natural world is a challenging task for computer graphics. One natural phenomenon that has received no attention in the field of computer graphics and scarce attention in physics is ball lightning. A computer simulation would greatly improve animated sequences of thunderstorms where this rare feature most often occurs. A physical model of ball lightning may also aid physicists in discovering its true nature. This paper describes the first computer graphics simulation of ball lightning. It is based on observations and physical theories which have attempted to describe its properties. None of the theories presented so far can explain all the manifestations of ball lightning reported in the literature. Consequently, it was not possible to develop a purely physical simulation; however, an attempt was made to include as many of the reported manifestations as possible. Common computer graphics techniques that are efficient and easy to implement are used to approximate the shape and visual appearance, as well as the deformations of a ball lightning as it passes through a small opening. An emphasis is placed on clearly defining a set of parameters that affect the visual qualities of the animation. In this way, the final output can be adjusted to suit the variety of observations that have been documented. Since ball lightning research is new to the field of computer graphics, an introduction and survey of the current state of ball lightning research is included. r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.