Laboratory measurements reveal that ice exhibits flexoelectricity — the generation of an electrical field upon bending. This flexoelectricity may be the microscopic mechanism for the mysterious charge separation that creates lightning in thunderstorms.
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Sobolev, Y.I. From bending to lightning. Nat. Phys. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-025-03050-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-025-03050-0
