The basic components needed for the exploding wire method are a thin conductive wire and a capacitor. The wire is typically gold, aluminum, iron or platinum, and is usually less than 0.5 mm in diameter. The capacitor has an energy consumption of about 25 kWh/kg and discharges a pulse of current density 10 - 10 A/mm, leading to temperatures up to 100,000 K. The phenomenon occurs over a time period of only 10 - 10 seconds.
The process is as follows:
# A rising current, supplied by the capacitor, is carried across the wire.
# The current heats up the wire through ohmic heating until the metal begins to melt. The metal melts to form a broken series of imperfect spheres called unduloids. The current rises so fast that the liquid metal has no time to move out of the way.
# The unduloids vaporize. The metal vapor creates a lower resistance path, allowing an even higher current to flow.
# An electric arc is formed, which turns the vapor into plasma. A bright flash of light is also produced.
# The plasma is allowed to expand freely, creating a shock wave.
# Electromagnetic radiation is released in tandem with the shock wave.
# The shock wave pushes liquid, gaseous and plasmatic metal outwards, breaking the circuit and ending the process.