Dielectric components play an integral role in the electronic communication, navigation, and defense systems, all devices which underpin daily life in our modern world. For many of these devices, particularly those which are designed to operate in high-radiation environments like space, space-charging and resulting dielectric breakdown present a persistent and pressing challenge for long term functionality. However, despite constituting a primary cause of failure for these materials, the dynamics of dielectric breakdown in bulk dielectric materials are not well understood. This is due in large part to the immense speeds at which these events occur, making it incredibly difficult to visualize. To systematically study dielectric breakdown in dielectrics, a novel optical delay line apparatus was developed for use in imaging this high-jitter, extremely fast phenomena. The resulting images present the first-ever opportunity to undertake a detailed analysis of the propagation dynamics of the dielectric breakdown in poly-methyl methacrylate. The result of this work includes the identification of two distinct types of electrical tree formation, including a previously unreported classification. More significantly, the propagation of this novel electrical tree type was observed to exceed ten million meters per second and is believed to be the fastest physical phenomenon to ever be optically imaged in a solid material. The results of this analysis, and the ongoing work surrounding the characterization of charge loaded dielectric materials will be presented.

Equally passionate are his personal research pursuits; Prof. Koeth is actively engaged in the collection and preservation of early atomic age artifacts, vintage cryptologic machines, and classic (atomic era) Tektronix oscilloscopes. His historical work has appeared on the cover of Physics Today (May 2019) as well as featured in interviews on NPR’s Morning Edition (August 2019). Recently, one of his artifacts has been made the centerpiece for a new exhibit, The Dark Cube, at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.