INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE SHROUD OF TURIN (ICST-2017)

​at the TRAC in Pasco, WA, JULY 19th - 22nd 2017

Giulio Fanti of Padua University

Image Formation
by Corona Discharge

1
 TS
INDEX
Corpse
1. Introduction
2. Corona Discharge (theory)
Tomb stone
3. Evidences in favor of CD
4. Hypotheses of the TS immersed in CD
5. Results
6. Conclusive remarks
7. (Scholars’ comments)

TS Experiment

2
Plasma ball
 1. INTRODUCTION
Many hypotheses have been carried out on linen fabrics to
explain the formation of the body image, but for the moment
no solution has been found.

In 1983, Osvald Scheuermann proposed a possible

body image formation mechanism based on CD,

followed by I. Bensen(1984),
R. Morgan and G. Coote (1985),
J.B. Judica Cordiglia (1986),
E. Lindner (1997),
F. Lattarulo (1998),
A. Adler (1999),
G. De Liso 2000,
G. Fanti (2005), 3
others.
 2. CORONA DISCHARGE
A CD is an electrical discharge brought on by the ionization
of a fluid.
A current develops between two high-voltage electrodes in a
dielectric fluid, usually air, by ionizing the fluid so as to
generate a plasma around one electrode.

An example of CD can be found

in a plasma ball.

There we see a pink area around

the nucleus and in proximity of
the external sphere, where CD is
formed.

4
 2. CORONA DISCHARGE
The generated ions are used as charge carriers to the other
electrode. An atom is ionized if it is subject to a strong
electric field: it generates a positive ion and an electron.

CD in air at a conductive
point (needle on the left)
in proximity to a plasma
(on the right).
5
 2. CORONA DISCHARGE
CD is a partial discharge (pink around the sphere) and
not a total discharge (blue bolts of lightning).

CD forms:
- heating;
- UV luminescence;
- acoustic effect;
- ozone.

Heating (from about 50 °C to 150 °C) and UV luminescence

are important for the TS body image formation.
6
 2. CORONA DISCHARGE

Although electrons are the

medium that triggers the
process, it is the UV light and
heating that produce the image:
they react with the linen fibers,
and break their C=C chemical
compounds.

Example: hand image touching

a cloth in proximity of a plasma
ball.
7
3. EVIDENCE IN FAVOR OF A CD HYPOTHESIS
Among others, the image has striations along the linen
yarn.
This is not simple to explain if any radiation composed of
uniformly distributed photons is hypothesized
TS eye (M. Evans ME-20, © STERA) CD experiment

Unless outwardly directed, single streamers making up

the glow corona impact the TS in function of the local
8
electric field intensity.
3. EVIDENCE IN FAVOR OF A CD HYPOTHESIS
The luminance of the image sections of legs approximates a
cosinusoidal law .

L=E0’ cosJ
TS Luminance profile TS

L=E0’
J
L=E0’ cosJ

Leg section

This is explained by means of an electrostatic model

considering a luminance vector L orthogonal to the skin.
If L is constant, the vertical projection L’ is: L’ = Eo’ cos q9
 3. EVIDENCE IN FAVOR OF A CD HYPOTHESIS
CD causes a doubly-superficial, negative and 3-D body
image. The color corresponds to a dehydratation and
oxydation of polysaccharides, as detected on the TS image.

Double superficiality

Front Back

A. Adler (1999) stated: “Several people have championed a

coronal discharge mechanism ... and their experiments have
provided samples … that come very close to meeting both10
the chemical and physical criteria” of the TS characteristics.
 4. HYPOTHESES
1) How the TS was placed around the Man ?

The body was enveloped in the TS and put horizontally

over the tomb stone. Around the corpse there were soft
objects like herbs that prevented a body-sheet contact.

TS Man
TS Cloth

Tufts of herbs

Spices and salts

Tomb stone

11
 4. HYPOTHESES
1) How the TS was placed around the Man ?

Another hypothesis considers the Man tightly wrapped in

the TS by means of bandages, BUT

if so, we should also see bloodstains in the lateral parts of

the body image, but they do not exist.

It can instead be discussed a more or less tight wrapping .

TS Man
TS Cloth
Tomb stone
12
 4. HYPOTHESES INVOLVING C. D.
- Hypothesis A) The Man was put in a tomb and subjected to
an exogenous electrostatic field (like that produced by
radon).
- Hypothesis B) The Man was put in a tomb and he directly
generated an electrostatic field emitting electrons (b-rays).

+ + Tomb rocks + +

- + TS Man -
+

- TS cloth -

El. field line - -

Electro- Posit. charge

+ Electro-
static + -
+
- Neg. charge - static
field - +
- - + + field
Null charge

Hypothesis A (F. Lattarulo) Hypothesis B 13

 4. HYPOTHESES
-The image produced by CD was probably at first latent.
Further exposition to sunlight or aging that dehydrates the
polysaccharide layer, turned the image into a yellow color.

- The TS must be inside the glow-CD layer, i.e. the length of

the single emitted streamers is greater than the body-cloth
distance.
- The glow-CD layer is interrupted by the presence
of the TS and re-starts on the outer surface of the
TS. The outer streamers are energetically less
severe, so that the intensity of the image impressed
on the outer surface of the linen is reduced. This
explains the double superficiality of the image.
14
 5. RESULTS: Van de Graaff generator
- Osvald Scheuermann, from 1983, performed tests on linen
samples and photographic paper.

1) metal relief; 2) photo-graphic paper; 3) plastic

foil as dielectric; 4) groun-ded metal plate; 5) Van
de Graaff generator; 6) groun-ded sphere; 7)
condenser.
A Van de Graaff generator was used to produce images.
The DC potential of 35000 V had a current intensity less than
0.01 mA. Also a 4400V AC transformer at 0.0025 A (11 W) working at 50 Hz
15 for
300 s was also used.
 5. RESULTS: Van de Graaff generator

A sphere near a flat condenser generates an image darker in

the middle showing 3-D effects (O. Scheuermann).

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5. RESULTS: Van de Graaff generator
-Experiments were performed by O. Scheuermann
on linen samples and photographic paper.

On the left, original St. Anthony medal

(Ø 6 cm, and 3.5 mm relief depth);
in the middle, result on linen cloth and
on the right result on photographic paper 17
 5. RESULTS: Van de Graaff generator
-Double images without lateral information by
O. Scheuermann.

Both frontal and dorsal images of the medal are represented

simultaneously but no lateral images are visible, as is the
case of the TS .

1) double sided relief; dorsal and frontal images

2) photographic paper; on photographic paper.
3) plate in the electric circuit U form (+). 18
 5. RESULTS: Van de Graaff generator
Effect of the distance by O. Scheuermann.
The result of a coin placed at a distance up to 3.5 mm from a
photographic paper is shown.
The image intensity decreases with the coin-paper distance,
and the extinction distance is about 4 mm.

Coin set-up and image. 3.5 mm

To achieve a greater distance a higher voltage is needed but

also an extremely short time to avoid the cloth’s burning.
19
 5. RESULTS: Van de Graaff generator
Bandages and hairs.
- Bandages are transparent on the impressed image whereas
a piece of yarn that is round causes a mark on the image.
- Clear hair is barely represented in the image, but hair pre-
treated with oil or a salt solution (sweat) is clearly
represented as is the hair on the TS.

Yarn Wet Normal

Bandage Hair Yarn knot

Resulting image of a medal relief covered with yarn, bandage

20
and hair and detail of hair
 5. RESULTS: Van de Graaff generator

-Concave valleys and convex hills cause charge spacing out

and concentration that generate lighter and darker images.
On the TS Face (positive) the eye sockets are lighter but the
tip of the nose and the eye balls are darker than normal.

Image by O. Scheuermann of a 0.1 mm thick sheet of copper

in which some convex hills (darker) and concave hollows
21
(lighter) were previously made.
 5. RESULTS: plasma ball and linen
A commercial plasma ball was used. The generated electric
field can cause avalanche re-starts and streamers in the air
outside the ball and then CD. Some samples of linen cloth
were placed on the glass surface of the plasma ball.

A
A
D
D

B
B

C
C

A) Plasma ball . B) Bronze watch wheel. C) Bolts of lightening

generates a CD in the air between the sphere, cloth and wheel. D)
A human hand covered by a cloth causes partial CD that are 22
visible as the fingers shine due to the production of ions.
 5. RESULTS: plasma ball and linen

After 300 s to the CD, the linen cloth shows an image only
visible in UV light. After heating this sample with an iron, the
image appears even in visible light.

UV Visible
light light

As the TS, the image on the cloth subject to CD is very

superficial but double. 23
 5. RESULTS: plasma ball and linen

Image of watch wheel

linen cloth.

24
 5. RESULTS: plasma ball
and linen cloth

The brittle behavior of the colored image fibers, typical of

the TS, is verified with CD experiments.

25
 5. RESULTS: plasma ball and linen
Similarly to the TS, due to a partial barrier effect of the linen
fabric, the image is concentrated in the crevices where the
electric charges concentrate.

Typical dissemination of the TS as reference

(© STERA Inc. )
pores that allow charges to
propagate through the barrier. 26
 5. RESULTS

CORONA
DISCHARGE ?

Photo obtained under

very particular
circumstances by a
tourist in
Medjugorje
(Bosnia-Erzegovina) 27
5. RESULTS: half-size
scale manikin
Tests at Padua
University
Corona Discharge
300000 V (DC).

28
5. RESULTS: half-size scale manikin

CD result using a half-size scale manikin.

29
5. RESULTS: half-size
scale manikin

Image obtained after 24 hours

of CD and ironing for 60 s
at a 180 ±15 °C.

30
 5. RESULTS: half-size scale manikin
CD begins when the electric field is high enough to produce
ionization by collision between free electrons and neutral
molecules: light emission mainly in the UV is produced.

31
5. RESULTS: numerical manikin Comsol sw.
46 FINITE ELEMENTS

32
 E.P. 1 v
Z.C. 5. RESULTS:
Z.C. numerical manikin
Z.C.
F Comsol sw.
Z.C.

G EXAMPLE OF SIMULATION

MAX: 64,131 V/m

20 V/m 10 0

33
 5. RESULTS: numerical manikin Comsol sw.

This result sustains the CD hypothesis for the TS body image

formation.

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 5. RESULTS

The negative image

of the TS
is compared with a
half-scale manikin
and the relative
CD image,

that presents a
distortion.

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 6. Conclusive remarks 1/3
A TS-like image has been obtained using CD
in a proper set-up using a half-life conductive manikin.
Theoretical and numerical results are in favor of the
hypothesis of TS body image formation by CD.
At microscopic level, the CD image is similar the TS.
Similarities at macroscopic level are:
negative type, 3D features and resolution.

3D processing

The experimental distortion must be studied in the future.

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(Let’s jump to scholars’ comments?)

THANK YOU FOR THE ATTENTION!

37
 7. COMMENTS 1/8
Chemical and physical characteristics of the image on linen
cloths subjected to CD correspond to those of the TS.

Some researchers have criticized the CD hypothesis for the

body image formation.
THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMENTS ARE HERE DISCUSSED.

Note: CD is not
against J. Jackson
collapse hypothesis,
but it can improve it
from the point of
view of soft UV light. 38
 7. COMMENTS 2/8
M. Alonso: “…I believe, … that "radiations" have nothing to
do with the image properties of the Shroud…..”

Scientific facts forbid an agreement.

- NEW RESULT: some TS fibers coming from the TSM buttock
zone (back surface in contact with the tombstone) show
limited areas (length of about 50 mm) with signs of “localized
burns of high intensity” explainable with a source of energy
like CD, but not with the Chambéry fire.

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 7. COMMENTS 3/8
Ray Schneider: ==> “The 3D effect is not particularly close to
an inverse square law".
In the case of TS, 3D is NOT close to an inverse square, BUT
close to a negative exponential law (see A. Cunico & L.
Favero theses, Padua 1999).
We have three best fittings (frontal, dorsal and face images):
- Frontal: L = 125 exp (-0.246 D);
- Dorsal: L = 147 exp (-0.309 D);
- Face: L = 215 exp (-0.311 D).
D = body-cloth distance [cm]; L=luminance (0-255).

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R. Schneider:
7. COMMENTS 4/8
"The real problem is
simultaneously explaining the 3D
relationship and the resolution,
because they are at odds with each
other.“
It is not a problem with CD.
- High resolution (4.9±0.5 mm) is due
to the fact that the electric field
lines do not cross each other; it is
found in contact areas as Face and
Hands;
TS
- 3D effect instead is
evident where the TSM
distance from the Cloth is TSM
higher (more than one 41
centimeter).
 7. COMMENTS 5/8
Ben Wiech: how does your CD hypothesis address the issue
of the cloth being in two different positions…?

In agreement with B. POWER, a consequence of radiation is a

repositioning of the TS in the tomb.
Following the law P V = k T, the rapid increase of temperature
(T) in correspondence of the air between corpse and cloth
due to the energy emission, caused a pressure (P) and
volume (V) variation which were the explanation why the
cloth moved (flattened and elevated).

42
 7. COMMENTS 6/8
M. Alonso: is the CD image fluorescent?

The TS background fluoresces but the body image does not:

this is the reason why the contrast is higher in UV photos.
The same is for CD experiments.
Therefore as the TS, the CD image does NOT fluoresce.

UV Visible
light light

43
NOT FLUORESCENT IMAGE
 7. COMMENTS 7/8
P. Iacazio: "What is the explanation regarding the lack of the
degradation in the area of the bloodstains ?".

The temperature was sufficiently low (50-150 °C) and the

burst was sufficiently brief not to cause any damage to the
bloodstains.
Instead, in agreement with C. Goldoni experiments, CD could
explain the redness of the blood seen in UV light.

C. Goldoni experiments of human bloodstains

exposed to UV light

44
 7. COMMENTS 8/8
Ray Schneider: “I don't think that CD can convey resolution
except over relatively small distances. I'd like to see a CD
image”.

CD Hands image from G. B. Judica Cordiglia "La Sindone

immagine elettrostatica“ with a 3D processing (on the right).

This experiment shows that a resolution comparable with the

TS is obtained with a 3D effect. 45
THANK YOU FOR THE ATTENTION!

46