Oceanic Storm Characteristics Off the Kennedy Space Center Coast

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, J.; Simpson, A. A.; Cummins, K. L.; Kiriazes, J. J.; Brown, R. G.; Mata, C. T.

2014-01-01

Natural cloud-to-ground lightning may behave differently depending on the characteristics of the attachment mediums, including the peak current (inferred from radiation fields) and the number of ground strike locations per flash. Existing literature has raised issues over the yea"rs on the behavior of lightning over ocean terrain and these phenomena are not yet well understood. To investigate lightning characteristics over differing terrain we will obtain identical observations over adjacent land and ocean regions during both clear air and thunderstorm periods comparing the electric field behavior over these various terrains. For this, a 3-meter NOAA buoy moored 20NM off the coast of the Kennedy Space Center was instrumented with an electric field mill and New Mexico Tech's slow antenna to measure the electric fields aloft and compared to the existing on-shore electric field mill suite of 31 sensors and a coastal slow antenna. New Mexico Tech's Lightning Mapping Array and the Eastern Range Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Surveillance System, along with the network of high-speed cameras being used to capture cloud-to-ground lightning strikes over the terrain regions to identify a valid data set and verify the electric fields. This is an on-going project with the potential for significant impact on the determination of lightning risk to objects on the ground. This presentation will provide results and instrumentation progress to date.

Electric field at the ground in a large tornado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winn, W. P.; Hunyady, S. J.; Aulich, G. D.

2000-08-01

A number of observers have reported lightning, diffuse luminosity, or other manifestations of electrical activity in tornadoes. To try to quantify these observations, eight instruments with sensors for electric field and other parameters were placed in front of a large tornado that passed by Allison, Texas, on June 8, 1995. The edge of the tornado vortex passed over two of the instruments and near other instruments. When the two instruments were in the low-pressure region near the edge of the vortex, they indicated electric field amplitudes less than about 3 kV/m, which is low compared with amplitudes of 10 kV/m or greater that are often present below thunderclouds. The thunderstorm produced frequent lightning, but there is no evidence from the measurements or from visual observations of lightning in the vortex. However, there was one interesting electrical effect associated with the tornado: the electric field at the two instruments in the vortex relaxed to zero quickly after lightning flashes, whereas the electric field at nearby instruments outside the vortex did not relax quickly after the same lightning flashes. The most likely cause of the rapid relaxation is shielding of the electric field at the ground by charge induced on soil, leaves, grass, and other debris lofted by the strong winds.

Land-ocean contrast on electrical characteristics of lightning discharge derived from satellite optical measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adachi, T.; Said, R.; Cummer, S. A.; Li, J.; Takahashi, Y.; Hsu, R.; Su, H.; Chen, A. B.; Mende, S. B.; Frey, H. U.

2010-12-01

Comparative studies on the electrical properties of oceanic and continental lightning are crucial to elucidate air discharge processes occurring under different conditions. Past studies however have primarily focused on continental lightning because of the limited coverage of ground-based instruments. Recent satellite measurements by FORMOSAT-2/ISUAL provided a new way to survey the global characteristics of lightning and transient luminous events regardless of land and ocean. In this study, we analyze ISUAL/spectrophotometer data to clarify the electrical properties of lightning on a global level. Based on the results obtained by Cummer et al. [2006] and Adachi et al. [2009], the OI-777.4nm emission intensity is used to infer lightning electrical parameters. Results show a clear land-ocean contrast on the parameters of lightning discharge: in oceanic lightning, peak luminosity is 60 % higher and the time scale of return stroke is 30 % shorter. These results suggest higher peak current in oceanic lightning, which is consistent with the fact that elves, EMP-driven phenomena, also tend to occur over the ocean [Chen et al., 2008]. Further analysis of lightning events occurring around the Caribbean Sea shows that the transition-line of lightning electrical properties is precisely located along the coastline. We suggest that the differences in these electrical properties may be due to the boundary conditions (conductivity, surface terrain, etc). In this talk, based on the calibration with NLDN and Duke magnetometer data, current moment change and charge moment change will be globally evaluated using a complete set of the ISUAL-observed lightning events.

11th International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christian, H. J. (Compiler)

1999-01-01

This document contains the proceedings from the 11th International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity (ICAE 99), held June 7-11, 1999. This conference was attended by scientists and researchers from around the world. The subjects covered included natural and artificially initiated lightning, lightning in the middle and upper atmosphere (sprites and jets), lightning protection and safety, lightning detection techniques (ground, airborne, and space-based), storm physics, electric fields near and within thunderstorms, storm electrification, atmospheric ions and chemistry, shumann resonances, satellite observations of lightning, global electrical processes, fair weather electricity, and instrumentation.

Electro-optic Lightning Detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koshak, William J.; Solakiewicz, Richard J.

1996-01-01

The design, alignment, calibration, and field deployment of a solid-state lightning detector is described. The primary sensing component of the detector is a potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) electro-optic crystal that is attached in series to a flat plate aluminum antenna; the antenna is exposed to the ambient thundercloud electric field. A semiconductor laser diode (lambda = 685 nm), polarizing optics, and the crystal are arranged in a Pockels cell configuration. Lightning-caused electric field changes are related to small changes in the transmission of laser light through the optical cell. Several hundred lightning electric field change excursions were recorded during five thunderstorms that occurred in the summer of 1998 at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in northern Alabama.

Electro-Optic Lightning Detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koshak, Willliam; Solakiewicz, Richard

1998-01-01

The design, alignment, calibration, and field deployment of a solid-state lightning detector is described. The primary sensing component of the detector is a potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) electro-optic crystal that is attached in series to a flat plate aluminum antenna; the antenna is exposed to the ambient thundercloud electric field. A semiconductor laser diode (lambda = 685 nm), polarizing optics, and the crystal are arranged in a Pockels cell configuration. Lightning-caused electric field changes are then related to small changes in the transmission of laser light through the optical cell. Several hundred lightning electric field change excursions were recorded during 4 thunderstorms that occurred in the summer of 1998 at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Northern Alabama.

Electric field mill network products to improve detection of the lightning hazard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maier, Launa M.

1987-01-01

An electric field mill network has been used at Kennedy Space Center for over 10 years as part of the thunderstorm detection system. Several algorithms are currently available to improve the informational output of the electric field mill data. The charge distributions of roughly 50 percent of all lightning can be modeled as if they reduced the charged cloud by a point charge or a point dipole. Using these models, the spatial differences in the lightning induced electric field changes, and a least squares algorithm to obtain an optimum solution, the three-dimensional locations of the lightning charge centers can be located. During the lifetime of a thunderstorm, dynamically induced charging, modeled as a current source, can be located spatially with measurements of Maxwell current density. The electric field mills can be used to calculate the Maxwell current density at times when it is equal to the displacement current density. These improvements will produce more accurate assessments of the potential electrical activity, identify active cells, and forecast thunderstorm termination.

Laboratory-Scale Evidence for Lightning-Mediated Gene Transfer in Soil

PubMed Central

Demanèche, Sandrine; Bertolla, Franck; Buret, François; Nalin, Renaud; Sailland, Alain; Auriol, Philippe; Vogel, Timothy M.; Simonet, Pascal

2001-01-01

Electrical fields and current can permeabilize bacterial membranes, allowing for the penetration of naked DNA. Given that the environment is subjected to regular thunderstorms and lightning discharges that induce enormous electrical perturbations, the possibility of natural electrotransformation of bacteria was investigated. We demonstrated with soil microcosm experiments that the transformation of added bacteria could be increased locally via lightning-mediated current injection. The incorporation of three genes coding for antibiotic resistance (plasmid pBR328) into the Escherichia coli strain DH10B recipient previously added to soil was observed only after the soil had been subjected to laboratory-scale lightning. Laboratory-scale lightning had an electrical field gradient (700 versus 600 kV m−1) and current density (2.5 versus 12.6 kA m−2) similar to those of full-scale lightning. Controls handled identically except for not being subjected to lightning produced no detectable antibiotic-resistant clones. In addition, simulated storm cloud electrical fields (in the absence of current) did not produce detectable clones (transformation detection limit, 10−9). Natural electrotransformation might be a mechanism involved in bacterial evolution. PMID:11472916

Utilizing Four Dimensional Lightning and Dual-Polarization Radar to Develop Lightning Initiation Forecast Guidance

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

Electrification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2.3 Lightning Discharge ...charge is caused by falling graupel that is positively charged (Wallace and Hobbs 2006). 2.3 Lightning Discharge Lightning occurs when the electric...emission of positive corona from the surface of precipitation particles, causing the electric field to become locally enhanced and supporting the

Electric Field and Lightning Observations in the Core of Category 5 Hurricane Emily

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blakeslee, Richard; Mach, Doug M.; Bateman, Monte G.; Bailey, Jeff C.

2007-01-01

Significant electric fields and lightning activity associated with Hurricane Emily were observed from a NASA high-altitude ER-2 aircraft on July 17, 2005 while this storm developed as a compact but intense category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean south of Cuba. The electrical measurements were acquired as part of the NASA sponsored Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP) experiment. In addition to the electrical measurements, the aircraft's remote sensing instrument complement also included active radars, passive microwave, visible and infrared radiometers, and a temperature sounder providing details on the dynamical, microphysical, and environmental structure, characteristics and development of this intense storm. Cloud-to-ground lightning location data from Vaisala's long range lightning detection network were also acquired and displayed in real-time along with electric fields measured at the aircraft. These data and associated display also supported aircraft guidance and vectoring during the mission. During the observing period, flash rates in excess of 3 to 5 flashes per minute, as well as large electric field and field change values were observed as the storm appeared to undergo periods of intensification, especially in the northwest quadrant in the core eyewall regions. This is in contrast to most hurricanes that tend to be characterized by weak electrification and little or no lightning activity except in the outer rain bands. It should be noted that this storm also had significant lightning associated with its rain bands.

Resistance and internal electric field in cloud-to-ground lightning channel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cen, Jianyong; Yuan, Ping, E-mail: yuanp@nwnu.edu.cn; Xue, Simin

2015-02-02

Cloud-to-ground lightning with six return strokes has been recorded by slitless spectrograph and the system of fast antenna and slow antenna. The physical parameters of the discharge channel have been obtained based on the combination of spectra and synchronous radiated electric field. The resistance and internal electric field of the channel are studied as the focus in this paper. The results show that the resistances per unit length of the lightning channel are in the order of 10{sup −2}–10{sup −1 }Ω/m and the internal electric field strengths are in the order of 10{sup 3 }V/m.

Atmospheric Electrical Modeling in Support of the NASA F-106 Storm Hazards Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helsdon, John H., Jr.

1988-01-01

A recently developed storm electrification model (SEM) is used to investigate the operating environment of the F-106 airplane during the NASA Storm Hazards Project. The model is 2-D, time dependent and uses a bulkwater microphysical parameterization scheme. Electric charges and fields are included, and the model is fully coupled dynamically, microphysically and electrically. One flight showed that a high electric field was developed at the aircraft's operating altitude (28 kft) and that a strong electric field would also be found below 20 kft; however, this low-altitude, high-field region was associated with the presence of small hail, posing a hazard to the aircraft. An operational procedure to increase the frequency of low-altitude lightning strikes was suggested. To further the understanding of lightning within the cloud environment, a parameterization of the lightning process was included in the SEM. It accounted for the initiation, propagation, termination, and charge redistribution associated with an intracloud discharge. Finally, a randomized lightning propagation scheme was developed, and the effects of cloud particles on the initiation of lightning investigated.

Lightning criteria relative to space shuttles: Currents and electric field intensity in Florida lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Uman, M. A.; Mclain, D. K.

1972-01-01

The measured electric field intensities of 161 lightning strokes in 39 flashes which occurred between 1 and 35 km from an observation point at Kennedy Space Center, Florida during June and July of 1971 have been analyzed to determine the lightning channel currents which produced the fields. In addition, typical channel currents are derived and from these typical electric fields at distances between 0.5 and 100 km are computed and presented. On the basis of the results recommendations are made for changes in the specification of lightning properties relative to space vehicle design as given in NASA TMX-64589 (Daniels, 1971). The small sample of lightning analyzed yielded several peak currents in the 100 kA range. Several current rise-times from zero to peak of 0.5 microsec or faster were found; and the fastest observed current rate-of-rise was near 200 kA/microsec. The various sources of error are discussed.

Measured electric field intensities near electric cloud discharges detected by the Kennedy Space Center's Lightning Detection and Ranging System, LDAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poehler, H. A.

1977-01-01

For a summer thunderstorm, for which simultaneous, airborne electric field measurements and Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) System data was available, measurements were coordinated to present a picture of the electric field intensity near cloud electrical discharges detected by the LDAR System. Radar precipitation echos from NOAA's 10 cm weather radar and measured airborne electric field intensities were superimposed on LDAR PPI plots to present a coordinated data picture of thunderstorm activity.

Science of Ball Lightning (Fire Ball)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohtsuki, Yoshi-Hiko

1989-08-01

The Table of Contents for the full book PDF is as follows: * Organizing Committee * Preface * Ball Lightning -- The Continuing Challenge * Hungarian Ball Lightning Observations in 1987 * Nature of Ball Lightning in Japan * Phenomenological and Psychological Analysis of 150 Austrian Ball Lightning Reports * Physical Problems and Physical Properties of Ball Lightning * Statistical Analysis of the Ball Lightning Properties * A Fluid-Dynamical Model for Ball Lightning and Bead Lightning * The Lifetime of Hill's Vortex * Electrical and Radiative Properties of Ball Lightning * The Candle Flame as a Model of Ball Lightning * A Model for Ball Lightning * The High-Temperature Physico-Chemical Processes in the Lightning Storm Atmosphere (A Physico-Chemical Model of Ball Lightning) * New Approach to Ball Lightning * A Calculation of Electric Field of Ball Lightning * The Physical Explanation to the UFO over Xinjiang, Northern West China * Electric Reconnection, Critical Ionization Velocity, Ponderomotive Force, and Their Applications to Triggered and Ball Lightning * The PLASMAK™ Configuration and Ball Lightning * Experimental Research on Ball Lightning * Performance of High-Voltage Test Facility Designed for Investigation of Ball Lightning * List of Participants

First and subsequent return stroke properties of cloud-to-ground lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Namasivayam, S.; Lundquist, Stig

1991-01-01

Lightning properties obtained by a network of magnetic direction finders and by electric field measurements for distances from 50 to 500 km are compared for three summer thunderstorms in Sweden. The data from direct field recordings indicate 31, 17, and 26 pcts. of negative subsequent return strokes with peak current (as inferred from the peak electric field) higher than the first. Electric fields from first strokes are compared with normalized amplitudes registered by the magnetic direction finding system. The efficiency of detection by the magnetic direction finding system is discussed in terms of the percentage of lightning flashes observed by electric field measurements that are not localized. Statistics of the number of strokes per flash and the interstroke time intervals are presented.

Oceanic Storm Characteristics off the Kennedy Space Center Coast

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, J. G.; Simpson, A. A.; Cummins, K. L.; Kiriazes, J. J.; Brown, R. G.; Mata, C. T.

2014-01-01

Natural cloud-to-ground lightning may behave differently depending on the characteristics of the attachment mediums, including the peak current (inferred from radiation fields) and the number of ground strike locations per flash. Existing literature has raised questions over the years on these characteristics of lightning over oceans, and the behaviors are not yet well understood. To investigate this we will obtain identical electric field observations over adjacent land and ocean regions during both clear air and thunderstorm periods. Oceanic observations will be obtained using a 3-meter NOAA buoy that has been instrumented with a Campbell Scientific electric field mill and New Mexico Techs slow antenna, to measure the electric fields aloft. We are currently obtaining measurements from this system on-shore at the Florida coast, to calibrate and better understand the behavior of the system in elevated-field environments. Sometime during winter 2013, this system will be moored 20NM off the coast of the Kennedy Space Center. Measurements from this system will be compared to the existing on-shore electric field mill suite of 31 sensors and a coastal slow antenna. Supporting observations will be provided by New Mexico Techs Lightning Mapping Array, the Eastern Range Cloud to Ground Lightning Surveillance System, and the National Lightning Detection Network. An existing network of high-speed cameras will be used to capture cloud-to-ground lightning strikes over the terrain regions to identify a valid data set for analysis. This on-going project will demonstrate the value of off-shore electric field measurements for safety-related decision making at KSC, and may improve our understanding of relative lightning risk to objects on the ground vs. ocean. This presentation will provide an overview of this new instrumentation, and a summary of our progress to date.

Rare measurements of a sprite with halo event driven by a negative lightning discharge over Argentina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, M.J.; Bailey, M.A.; Pautet, P.D.; Cummer, S.A.; Jaugey, N.; Thomas, J.N.; Solorzano, N.N.; Sao, Sabbas F.; Holzworth, R.H.; Pinto, O.; Schuch, N.J.

2008-01-01

As part of a collaborative campaign to investigate Transient Lummous Events (TLEs) over South America, coordinated optical, ELF/VLF, and lightning measurements were made of a mesoscale thunderstorm observed on February 22-23, 2006 over northern Argentina that produced 445 TLEs within a ???6 hour period. Here, we report comprehensive measurements of one of these events, a sprite with halo that was unambiguously associated with a large negative cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning discharge with an impulsive vertical charge moment change (??MQv) of -503 C.km. This event was similar in its location, morphology and duration to other positive TLEs observed from this storm. However, the downward extent of the negative streamers was limited to 25 km, and their apparent brightness was lower than that of a comparable positive event. Observations of negative CG events are rare, and these measurements provide fin-ther evidence that sprites can be driven by upward as well as downward electric fields, as predicted by the conventional breakdown mechanism. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

MUSIC for localization of thunderstorm cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mosher, J.C.; Lewis, P.S.; Rynne, T.M.

1993-12-31

Lightning represents an event detectable optically, electrically, and acoustically, and several systems are already in place to monitor such activity. Unfortunately, such detection of lightning can occur too late, since operations need to be protected in advance of the first lightning strike. Additionally, the bolt itself can traverse several kilometers before striking the ground, leaving a large region of uncertainty as to the center of the storm and its possible strike regions. NASA Kennedy Space Center has in place an array of electric field mills that monitor the (effectively) DC electric field. Prior to the first lightning strike, the surfacemore » electric fields rise as the storm generator within a thundercloud begins charging. Extending methods we developed for an analogous source localization problem in mangnetoencephalography, we present Cramer-Rao lower bounds and MUSIC scans for fitting a point-charge source model to the electric field mill data. Such techniques can allow for the identification and localization of charge centers in cloud structures.« less

A comparison between initial continuous currents of different types of upward lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, D.; Sawada, N.; Takagi, N.

2009-12-01

We have observed the lightning to a wind turbine and its lightning-protection tower for four consecutive winter seasons from 2005 to 2009. Our observation items include (1) thunderstorm electrical fields and lightning-caused electric field changes at multi sites around the wind turbine, (2) electrical currents at the bottom of the wind turbine and its lightning protection tower, (3) normal video and high speed image of lightning optical channels. Totally, we have obtained the data for 42 lightning that hit either on wind turbine or its lightning protection tower or both. Among these 42 lightning, 38 are upward lightning and 2 are downward lightning. We found the upward lightning can be sub-classified into two types. Type 1 upward lightning are self-triggered from a high structure, while type 2 lightning are triggered by a discharge occurred in other places which could be either a cloud discharge or a cloud-to-ground discharge (other-triggered). In this study, we have compared the two types of upward lightning in terms of initial continuous current rise time, peak current and charge transferred to the ground. We found that the initial current of self-triggered lightning tends to rise significantly faster and to a bigger peak value than the other-triggered lightning, although both types of lightning transferred similar amount of charge to the ground.

Determining distance to lightning strokes from a single station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruhnke, L. H. (Inventor)

1973-01-01

Apparatus is described for determining the distance to lightning strokes from a single station. The apparatus includes a first loop antenna system for sensing the magnetic field produced by the lightning which is filtered, square rooted, and fed into a peak voltage holding circuit. A second antenna is provided for sensing the electric field produced by the lightning which is fed into a filter, an absolute value meter, and to a peak voltage holding circuit. A multivibrator gates the magnetic and electric signals through the peak holding circuits to a ratio meter which produces a signal corresponding to the ratio between the magnetic component and the electric component. The amplitude of this signal is proportional to the distance from the apparatus to the lightning stroke.

Measuring Effects Of Lightning On Power And Telephone Lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jafferis, William; Thompson, E. M.; Medelius, P.; Rubinstein, M.; Tzeng, A.

1992-01-01

Spherical antenna senses both horizontal and vertical fields simultaneously. Measures "fast" components of electric field used in conjunction with other equipment, including antenna measuring "slow" vertical component of electric field; microphone that senses thunder; cameras making visual records, which locate lightning; magnetic-field sensor; optical sensors; and instruments measuring speed and direction of wind.

The induced electric field due to a current transient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beck, Y.; Braunstein, A.; Frankental, S.

2007-05-01

Calculations and measurements of the electric fields, induced by a lightning strike, are important for understanding the phenomenon and developing effective protection systems. In this paper, a novel approach to the calculation of the electric fields due to lightning strikes, using a relativistic approach, is presented. This approach is based on a known current wave-pair model, representing the lightning current wave. The model presented is one that describes the lightning current wave, either at the first stage of the descending charge wave from the cloud or at the later stage of the return stroke. The electric fields computed are cylindrically symmetric. A simplified method for the calculation of the electric field is achieved by using special relativity theory and relativistic considerations. The proposed approach, described in this paper, is based on simple expressions (by applying Coulomb's law) compared with much more complicated partial differential equations based on Maxwell's equations. A straight forward method of calculating the electric field due to a lightning strike, modelled as a negative-positive (NP) wave-pair, is determined by using the special relativity theory in order to calculate the 'velocity field' and relativistic concepts for calculating the 'acceleration field'. These fields are the basic elements required for calculating the total field resulting from the current wave-pair model. Moreover, a modified simpler method using sub models is represented. The sub-models are filaments of either static charges or charges at constant velocity only. Combining these simple sub-models yields the total wave-pair model. The results fully agree with that obtained by solving Maxwell's equations for the discussed problem.

a review and an update on the winter lightning that occurred on a rotating windmill and its standalone lightning protection tower

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, D.; Takagi, N.

2012-12-01

We have observed the lightning occurred on a 100 m high windmill and its 105 m high standalone lightning-protection tower about 45 m separated from the windmill in the Hokuriku area of Japan for 7 consecutive winter seasons from 2005 to 2012. Our main observation items include: (1) Lightning current at the bottom of both the windmill and the tower. (2) Thunderstorm electric fields and the electric field changes caused by lightning at multiple sites. (3) Optical images by both low and high speed imaging systems. During the 7 winter seasons, over 100 lightning have hit either the tower or the windmill or both. All the lightning but two observed are of upward lightning. Those upward lightning can be sub-classified into self-initiated types and other-triggered types according to whether there is a discharge activity prior to the upward leaders or not. Self-initiated and other-triggered upward lightning tend to have biased percentages in terms of striking locations (windmill versus tower) and thunderstorm types (active versus weak). All the upward lightning but one contained only initial continuous current stages. In the presentation, we will first give a review on those results we have reported before [1-3]. As an update, we will report the following results. (1) The electric field change required for triggering a negative upward leader is usually more than twice bigger than that for triggering a positive upward leader. (2) An electric current pulse with an amplitude of several tens of Amperes along a high structure has been observed to occur in response to a rapid electric change generated by either a nearby return stroke or K-change. References [1] D.Wang, N.Takagi, T.Watanebe, H. Sakurano, M. Hashimoto, Observed characteristics of upward leaders that are initiated from a windmill and its lightning protection tower, Geophys. Res. Lett., Vol.35, L02803, doi:10.1029/2007GL032136, 2008. [2] W. Lu, D.Wang, Y. Zhang and N. Takagi, Two associated upward lightning flashes that produced opposite polarity electric field changes, Geophys. Res. Lett., Vol.36, L05801, doi:10.1029/2008GL036598, 2009. [3] D. Wang, N. Takagi, Characteristics of Winter Lightning that Occurred on a Windmill and its Lightning Protection Tower in Japan, IEEJ Trans. on Power and Energy, Vol. 132, No.6, pp.568-572, Doi:10.1541/ieejpes.132.568, 2012.

Electric Field Measurements During the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) Field Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bateman, Monte G.; Blakeslee, Richard J.; Mach, Douglas M.

2010-01-01

During the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) field program, a system of 6 electric field mills was flown on one of NASA's Global Hawk aircraft. We placed several mills on the aircraft to enable us to measure the vector electric field. We created a distributed, ethernet-connected system so that each sensor has its own embedded Linux system, complete with web server. This makes our current generation system fully "sensor web enabled." The Global Hawk has several unique qualities, but relevant to quality storm electric field measurements are high altitude (20 km) and long duration (20-30 hours) flights. There are several aircraft participating in the GRIP program, and coordinated measurements are happening. Lightning and electric field measurements will be used to study the relationships between lightning and other storm characteristics. It has been long understood that lightning can be used as a marker for strong convective activity. Past research and field programs suggest that lightning flash rate may serve as an indicator and precursor for rapid intensification change in tropical cyclones and hurricanes. We have the opportunity to sample hurricanes for many hours at a time and observe intensification (or de-intensification) periods. The electrical properties of hurricanes during such periods are not well known. American

A first look at lightning energy determined from GLM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bitzer, P. M.; Burchfield, J. C.; Brunner, K. N.

2017-12-01

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) was launched in November 2016 onboard GOES-16 has been undergoing post launch and product post launch testing. While these have typically focused on lightning metrics such as detection efficiency, false alarm rate, and location accuracy, there are other attributes of the lightning discharge that are provided by GLM data. Namely, the optical energy radiated by lightning may provide information useful for lightning physics and the relationship of lightning energy to severe weather development. This work presents initial estimates of the lightning optical energy detected by GLM during this initial testing, with a focus on observations during field campaign during spring 2017 in Huntsville. This region is advantageous for the comparison due to the proliferation of ground-based lightning instrumentation, including a lightning mapping array, interferometer, HAMMA (an array of electric field change meters), high speed video cameras, and several long range VLF networks. In addition, the field campaign included airborne observations of the optical emission and electric field changes. The initial estimates will be compared with previous observations using TRMM-LIS. In addition, a comparison between the operational and scientific GLM data sets will also be discussed.

New model simulations of the global atmospheric electric circuit driven by thunderstorms and electrified shower clouds: The roles of lightning and sprites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rycroft, Michael J.; Odzimek, Anna; Arnold, Neil F.; Füllekrug, Martin; Kułak, Andrzej; Neubert, Torsten

2007-12-01

Several processes acting below, in and above thunderstorms and in electrified shower clouds drive upward currents which close through the global atmospheric electric circuit. These are all simulated in a novel way using the software package PSpice. A moderate negative cloud-to-ground lightning discharge from the base of a thunderstorm increases the ionospheric potential above the thundercloud by 0.0013%. Assuming the ionosphere to be an equipotential surface, this discharge increases the current flowing in the global circuit and the fair-weather electric field also by 0.0013%. A moderate positive cloud-to-ground lightning discharge from the bottom of a thunderstorm decreases the ionospheric potential by 0.014%. Such a discharge may trigger a sprite, causing the ionospheric potential to decrease by ˜1V. The time scales for the recovery of the ionospheric potential are shown to be ˜250s, which is of the same order as the CR time constant for the global circuit. Knowing the global average rate of lightning discharges, it is found that negative cloud-to-ground discharges increase the ionospheric potential by only ˜4%, and that positive cloud-to-ground discharges reduce it by ˜3%. Thus, overall, lightning contributes only ˜1%—an almost insignificant proportion—to maintaining the high potential of the ionosphere. It is concluded that the net upward current to the ionosphere due to lightning is only ˜20A. Further, it is concluded that conduction and convection currents associated with “batteries” within thunderclouds and electrified shower clouds contribute essentially equally (˜500A each) to maintaining the ionospheric potential.

Investigations in thunderstorm energetics using satellite instrumentation and Monte Carlo simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunner, K. N.; Bitzer, P. M.

2017-12-01

The electrical energy dissipated by lightning is a fundamental question in lightning physics and may be used in severe weather applications. However, the electrical energy, flash area/extent and spectral energy density (radiance) are all influenced by the geometry of the lightning channel. We present details of a Monte Carlo based model simulating the optical emission from lightning and compare with observations. Using time-of-arrival techniques and the electric field change measurements from the Huntsville Alabama Marx Meter Array (HAMMA), the 4D lightning channel is reconstructed. The located sources and lightning channel emit optical emission, calibrated by the ground based electric field, that scatters until absorbed or a cloud boundary is reached within the model. At cloud top, the simulation is gridded as LIS pixels (events) and contiguous events (groups). The radiance is related via the LIS calibration and the estimated lightning electrical energy is calculated at the LIS/GLM time resolution. Previous Monte Carlo simulations have relied on a simplified lightning channel and scattering medium. This work considers the cloud a stratified medium of graupel/ice and inhomogeneous at flash scale. The impact of cloud inhomogeneity on the scattered optical emission at cloud top and at the time resolution of LIS and GLM are also considered. The simulation results and energy metrics provide an estimation of the electrical energy using GLM and LIS on the International Space Station (ISS-LIS).

Comparison of fast electric field changes from subsequent return strokes of natural and triggered lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le Vine, D. M.; Willett, J.

1988-01-01

Fast electric field changes from subsequent return strokes of natural and triggered lightning with propagation paths almost entirely over water are compared. Data were collected at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Comparisons have been made of the average shape, the rise time and the spectrum of the electric field changes. The electric field changes from the triggered flashes tend to rise to peak faster and decay faster than do their counterparts in natural cloud-to-ground flashes.

Lightning current detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Livermore, S. F. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

An apparatus for measuring the intensity of current produced in an elongated electrical conductive member by a lightning strike for determining the intensity of the lightning strike is presented. The apparatus includes an elongated strip of magnetic material that is carried within an elongated tubular housing. A predetermined electrical signal is recorded along the length of said elongated strip of magnetic material. One end of the magnetic material is positioned closely adjacent to the electrically conductive member so that the magnetic field produced by current flowing through said electrically conductive member disturbs a portion of the recorded electrical signal directly proportional to the intensity of the lightning strike.

Horizontal electric fields from lightning return strokes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomson, E. M.; Medelius, P. J.; Rubinstein, M.; Uman, M. A.; Johnson, J.

1988-01-01

An experiment to measure simultaneously the wideband horizontal and vertical electric fields from lightning return strokes is described. Typical wave shapes of the measured horizontal and vertical fields are presented, and the horizontal fields are characterized. The measured horizontal fields are compared with calculated horizontal fields obtained by applying the wavetilt formula to the vertical fields. The limitations and sources of error in the measurement technique are discussed.

Initiation of Positive Streamers near Uncharged Ice Hydrometeors in the Thundercloud Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babich, L. P.; Bochkov, E. I.

2018-05-01

Since the threshold electric field required for breakdown of air is much higher than the maximum field strength measured in thunderstorm clouds, the problem of lightning initiation still remains unsolved. According to the popular hypothesis, lightning can be initiated by a streamer discharge in the field enhanced near a hydrometeor. To verify the adequacy of this hypothesis, the development of a positive streamer propagating along the thunderstorm electric field in the vicinity of an ice needle at an air pressure corresponding to an altitude of 5 km (which is typical of the lightning initiation conditions) was simulated numerically. The hydrometeor dimensions are determined at which streamers can be initiated at different strengths of the thunderstorm electric field.

Statistical analysis of lightning electric field measured under Malaysian condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salimi, Behnam; Mehranzamir, Kamyar; Abdul-Malek, Zulkurnain

2014-02-01

Lightning is an electrical discharge during thunderstorms that can be either within clouds (Inter-Cloud), or between clouds and ground (Cloud-Ground). The Lightning characteristics and their statistical information are the foundation for the design of lightning protection system as well as for the calculation of lightning radiated fields. Nowadays, there are various techniques to detect lightning signals and to determine various parameters produced by a lightning flash. Each technique provides its own claimed performances. In this paper, the characteristics of captured broadband electric fields generated by cloud-to-ground lightning discharges in South of Malaysia are analyzed. A total of 130 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes from 3 separate thunderstorm events (each event lasts for about 4-5 hours) were examined. Statistical analyses of the following signal parameters were presented: preliminary breakdown pulse train time duration, time interval between preliminary breakdowns and return stroke, multiplicity of stroke, and percentages of single stroke only. The BIL model is also introduced to characterize the lightning signature patterns. Observations on the statistical analyses show that about 79% of lightning signals fit well with the BIL model. The maximum and minimum of preliminary breakdown time duration of the observed lightning signals are 84 ms and 560 us, respectively. The findings of the statistical results show that 7.6% of the flashes were single stroke flashes, and the maximum number of strokes recorded was 14 multiple strokes per flash. A preliminary breakdown signature in more than 95% of the flashes can be identified.

Does Wilson's cloud chamber offer clues on lightning initiation in thunderclouds?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooray, V.; Rakov, V.

2007-12-01

The experimental evidence indicates that the large scale electric field in the cloud at the time of lightning initiation is about 100 kV/m [1], which is an order of magnitude lower than the expected conventional breakdown field. One important problem in atmospheric physics is to understand how lightning flashes are initiated in such low fields. Some scientists suggest that the electric field could reach higher values momentarily in small regions and this combined with the field enhancing action of hydrometeors in the cloud could provide trigger for lightning initiation [2, 3]. Others suggest that energetic electrons produced by cosmic rays could give rise to runaway electron avalanches generating the initial ionization necessary for lightning initiation [4]. Nguyen and Michnowski [2] suggested that in small cloud regions the electric field may exceed 200 to 400 kV/m and in these locations the discharges between hydrometeors could facilitate lightning initiation. This mechanism was further investigated by Cooray et al. [3] who showed that interaction between adjacent hydrometeors cannot produce a streamer discharge, a prerequisite for electric breakdown, unless the field exceeds about 830 kV/m. They also found that long chains of hydrometeors could initiate streamer discharges in relatively low electric fields. For example, in order to generate a streamer discharge in 100 kV/m electric field the length of the chain of hydrometeors of 0.1 mm radius should be about 65 mm with more than 100 particles constituting the chain. However, the question remains on how such long chains of hydrometeors can be produced in the cloud. We suggest the following possibility. Consider an energetic particle passing through the cloud producing ionization in its wake. The passage of such a particle will lead to a stream of positive ions and electrons with the latter being captured within a few tens of nanoseconds by oxygen molecules to form negative ions. If the water vapor in the region under consideration is supersaturated, water molecules will condense on the ions and the resulting droplets can grow to tens of micrometers in a fraction of a second. This is the mechanism utilized in Wilson's cloud chamber to visualize the tracks of ionizing particles. If the track of ionizing particle is aligned with the direction of the electric field in the cloud, the resultant drift of the oppositely charged particles in opposite directions will facilitate collisions among them leading to production of larger droplets. This process can potentially generate long chains of droplets in the cloud which may provide the trigger necessary for the initiation of lightning flashes. [1] Marshall, T. C., M. P. McCarthy and W. D. Rust, Electric field magnitudes and lightning initiation in thunderstorms, J. Geophys. Res., vol. 100, pp. 7097 - 7103, 1995. [2] Nguyen, M. D. and S. Michnowski, On the initiation of lightning discharges in a cloud, 2. The lightning initiation on precipitation particles, J. Geophys. Res., vol. 101, pp. 26 675 - 26 680, 1996. [3] Cooray, V., M. Berg, M. Akyuz and A. Larsson, Initiation of ground flashes: some microscopic electrical processes associated with precipitation particles, Proc. International Conference on Lightning Protection, Birmingham, UK, 2002. [4] Gurevich, A. V., G. M. Milikh and J. A. Valdivia, Model of X-ray emission and fast preconditioning during a thunderstorm, Phys. Lett., A 231, pp. 402 - 408, 1997.

Automated Identification of Initial Storm Electrification and End-of-Storm Electrification Using Electric Field Mill Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maier, Launa M.; Huddleston, Lisa L.

2017-01-01

Kennedy Space Center (KSC) operations are located in a region which experiences one of the highest lightning densities across the United States. As a result, on average, KSC loses almost 30 minutes of operational availability each day for lightning sensitive activities. KSC is investigating using existing instrumentation and automated algorithms to improve the timeliness and accuracy of lightning warnings. Additionally, the automation routines will be warning on a grid to minimize under-warnings associated with not being located in the center of the warning area and over-warnings associated with encompassing too large an area. This study discusses utilization of electric field mill data to provide improved warning times. Specifically, this paper will demonstrate improved performance of an enveloping algorithm of the electric field mill data as compared with the electric field zero crossing to identify initial storm electrification. End-of-Storm-Oscillation (EOSO) identification algorithms will also be analyzed to identify performance improvement, if any, when compared with 30 minutes after the last lightning flash.

DEVELOPMENT OF A METHOD FOR THE OBSERVATION OF LIGHTNING IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS USING ION LINES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Muranushi, Takayuki; Akiyama, Eiji; Inutsuka, Shu-ichiro

2015-12-20

In this paper, we propose observational methods for detecting lightning in protoplanetary disks. We do so by calculating the critical electric field strength in the lightning matrix gas (LMG), the parts of the disk where the electric field is strong enough to cause lightning. That electric field accelerates multiple positive ion species to characteristic terminal velocities. In this paper, we present three distinct discharge models with corresponding critical electric fields. We simulate the position–velocity diagrams and the integrated emission maps for the models. We calculate the measure-of-sensitivity values for detection of the models and for distinguishing between the models. Atmore » the distance of TW Hya (54 pc), LMG that occupies 2π in azimuth and has 25 AU < r < 50 AU is detectable at 1200σ to 4000σ. The lower limits of the radii of 5σ-detectable LMG clumps are between 1.6 AU and 5.3 AU, depending on the models.« less

Electro-Optic Lighting Detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koshak, William J.; Solakiewicz, Richard J.

1999-01-01

The design, alignment, calibration, and field deployment of a solid-state lightning detector is described. The primary sensing component of the detector is a potassium dihydrogen phosphate electro-optic crystal that is attached in series to a flat-plate aluminum antenna; the antenna is exposed to the ambient thundercloud electric field. A semiconductor laser diode (lambda = 685 nm), polarizing optics, and the crystal are arranged in a Pockels cell configuration. Lightning-caused electric field changes are related to small changes in the transmission of laser light through the optical cell. Several hundred lightning electric field change excursions were recorded during five thunderstorms that occurred in the summer of 1998 at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in northern Alabama.

An investigation of the generation and properties of laboratory-produced ball lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oreshko, A. G.

2015-06-01

The experiments revealed that ball lightning is a self-confining quasi-neutral in a whole plasma system that rotates around its axis. Ball lightning has a structure of a spherical electric domain, consisting of a kernel with excess negative charge and an external spherical layer with excess positive charge. The excess of charges of one sort and the lack of charges of the other sort in the kernel or in the external spherical layer significantly reduces the possibility of electron capture by means of an electric field, created by the nearest ions and leads to a drastic slowdown of recombination process. Direct proof has been obtained that inside of ball lightning - in an external spherical layer that rotates around the axis - there is a circular current of sub-relativistic particles. This current creates and maintains its own poloidal magnetic field of ball lightning, i.e. it carries out the function of magnetic dynamo. The kernel of ball lightning is situated in a region with minimum values of induction of the magnetic field. The inequality of positive and negative charges in elements of ball lightning also significantly reduces losses of the charged plasma on bremsstrahlung. Ball lightning generation occurs in a plasmic vortex. The ball lightning energy in the region of its generation significantly differs from the ball lightning energy, which is drifting in space. The axial component of kinetic energy of particles slightly exceeds 100 keV and the rotational component of the ions energy is a bit greater than 1 MeV. Ball lightning is `embedded' in atmosphere autonomous accelerator of charged particles of a cyclotron type due to self-generation of strong crossed electric and magnetic fields. A discussion of the conditions of stability and long-term existence of ball lightning is given.

Mathematical physics approaches to lightning discharge problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kyrala, A.

1985-01-01

Mathematical physics arguments useful for lightning discharge and generation problems are pursued. A soliton Ansatz for the lightning stroke is treated including a charge generation term which is the ultimate source for the phenomena. Equations are established for a partially ionized plasma inding the effects of pressure, magnetic field, electric field, gravitation, viscosity, and temperature. From these equations is then derived the non-stationary generalized Ohm's Law essential for describing field/current density relationships in the horizon channel of the lightning stroke. The discharge initiation problem is discussed. It is argued that the ionization rate drives both the convective current and electric displacement current to increase exponentially. The statistical distributions of charge in the thundercloud preceding a lightning dischage are considered. The stability of the pre-lightning charge distributions and the use of Boltzmann relaxational equations to determine them are discussed along with a covered impedance path provided by the aircraft.

Modeling transient luminous events produced by cloud to ground lightning and narrow bipolar pulses: detailed spectra and chemical impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez-Invernon, F. J.; Luque, A.; Gordillo-Vazquez, F. J.

2017-12-01

The electromagnetic field generated by lightning discharges can produce Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) in the lower ionosphere, as previously investigated by many authors. Some recent studies suggest that narrow bipolar pulses (NBP), an impulsive and not well-established type of atmospheric electrical discharge, could also produce TLEs. The characterization and observation of such TLEs could be a source of information about the physics underlying NBP. In this work, we develop two different electrodynamical models to study the impact of lightning-driven electromagnetic fields in the lower ionosphere. The first model calculates the quasi-electrostatic field produced by a single cloud to ground lightning in the terrestrial atmosphere and its influence in the electron transport. This scheme allows us to study halos, a relatively frequent type of TLE. The second model solves the Maxwell equations for the electromagnetic field produced by a lightning discharge coupled with the Langevin's equation for the induced currents in the ionosphere. This model is useful to investigate elves, a fast TLE produced by lightning or by NBP. In addition, both models are coupled with a detailed chemistry of the electronically and vibrationally excited states of molecular nitrogen, allowing us to calculate synthetic spectra of both halos and elves. The models also include a detailed set of kinetic reactions to calculate the temporal evolution of other species. Our results suggest an important enhancement of some molecular species produced by halos, as NOx , N2 O and other metastable species. The quantification of their production could be useful to understand the role of thunderstorms in the climate of our planet. In the case of TLEs produced by NBP, our model confirms the appearance of double elves and allows us to compute their spectral characteristics.

A study on the influence of corona on currents and electromagnetic fields predicted by a nonlinear lightning return-stroke model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Conti, Alberto; Silveira, Fernando H.; Visacro, Silvério

2014-05-01

This paper investigates the influence of corona on currents and electromagnetic fields predicted by a return-stroke model that represents the lightning channel as a nonuniform transmission line with time-varying (nonlinear) resistance. The corona model used in this paper allows the calculation of corona currents as a function of the radial electric field in the vicinity of the channel. A parametric study is presented to investigate the influence of corona parameters, such as the breakdown electric field and the critical electric field for the stable propagation of streamers, on predicted currents and electromagnetic fields. The results show that, regardless of the assumed corona parameters, the incorporation of corona into the nonuniform and nonlinear transmission line model under investigation modifies the model predictions so that they consistently reproduce most of the typical features of experimentally observed lightning electromagnetic fields and return-stroke speed profiles. In particular, it is shown that the proposed model leads to close vertical electric fields presenting waveforms, amplitudes, and decay with distance in good agreement with dart leader electric field changes measured in triggered lightning experiments. A comparison with popular engineering return-stroke models further confirms the model's ability to predict consistent electric field waveforms in the close vicinity of the channel. Some differences observed in the field amplitudes calculated with the different models can be related to the fact that current distortion, while present in the proposed model, is ultimately neglected in the considered engineering return-stroke models.

Static Electric Fields and Lightning Over Land and Ocean in Florida Thunderstorms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, J. G.; Cummins, K. L.; Simpson, A. A.; Hinckley, A.

2017-01-01

Natural cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning and the charge structure of the associated clouds behave differently over land and ocean. Existing literature has raised questions over the years on the behavior of thunderstorms and lightning over oceans, and there are still open scientific questions. We expand on the observational datasets by obtaining identical electric field observations over coastal land, near-shore, and deep ocean regions during both clear air and thunderstorm periods. Oceanic observations were obtained using two 3-meter NOAA buoys that were instrumented with Campbell Scientific electric field mills to measure the static electric fields. These data were compared to selected electric field records from the existing on-shore electric field mill suite of 31 sensors at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). CG lightning occurrence times, locations and peak current values for both on-shore and ocean were provided by the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network. The buoy instruments were first evaluated on-shore at the Florida coast, to calibrate field enhancements and to confirm proper behavior of the system in elevated-field environments. The buoys were then moored 20NM and 120NM off the coast of KSC in February (20NM) and August (120NM) 2014. Statistically larger CG peak currents were reported over the deep ocean for first strokes and for subsequent strokes with new contacts points. Storm-related static fields were significantly larger at both oceanic sites, likely due to decreased screening by nearby space charge. Time-evolution of the static field during storm development and propagation indicated weak or missing lower positive charge regions in most storms that initiated over the deep ocean, supporting one mechanism for the observed high peak currents in negative first strokes over the deep ocean. This project also demonstrated the practicality of off-shore electric field measurements for safety-related decision making at KSC.

Research on electrical properties of severe thunderstorms in the Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, W. D.; Taylor, W. L.; Macgorman, D. R.; Arnold, R. T.

1981-01-01

Techniques, equipment, and results of studies (1978-1980) to determine the relationships between electrical phenomena and the dynamics and precipitation of storms are reported. Doppler and conventional radar, video tapes and movies, and VHF recording devices were used to monitor an area 200 x 100 km, aligned SW to NE. The 23 cm radar and a Doppler radar were employed to acquire radar echoes from lightning. Observations of a squall line, a severe storm, and radar echoes from electrical discharges are described. Positively charged cloud-to-ground lightning was observed during the severe and final stages of severe storms; average lightning rates and total flashes for normal and severe storms are provided. Comparisons of lightning echoes and electric field changes indicated that abrupt increases in radar reflectivity were correlated with return strokes and K-type field changes.

Thunderclouds and Lightning Conductors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, P. F.

1973-01-01

Discusses the historical background of the development of lightning conductors, describes the nature of thunderclouds and the lightning flash, and provides a calculation of the electric field under a thundercloud. Also discussed are point discharge currents and the attraction theory of the lightning conductor. (JR)

Coincident Observation of Lightning using Spaceborne Spectrophotometer and Ground-Level Electromagnetic Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adachi, Toru; Cohen, Morris; Li, Jingbo; Cummer, Steve; Blakeslee, Richard; Marshall, THomas; Stolzenberg, Maribeth; Karunarathne, Sumedhe; Hsu, Rue-Ron; Su, Han-Tzong;

Broadband electromagnetic sensors for aircraft lightning research. [electromagnetic effects of lightning on aircraft digital equipment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trost, T. F.; Zaepfel, K. P.

1980-01-01

A set of electromagnetic sensors, or electrically-small antennas, is described. The sensors are designed for installation on an F-106 research aircraft for the measurement of electric and magnetic fields and currents during a lightning strike. The electric and magnetic field sensors mount on the aircraft skin. The current sensor mounts between the nose boom and the fuselage. The sensors are all on the order of 10 cm in size and should produce up to about 100 V for the estimated lightning fields. The basic designs are the same as those developed for nuclear electromagnetic pulse studies. The most important electrical parameters of the sensors are the sensitivity, or equivalent area, and the bandwidth (or rise time). Calibration of sensors with simple geometries is reliably accomplished by a geometric analysis; all the sensors discussed possess geometries for which the sensitivities have been calculated. For the calibration of sensors with more complex geometries and for general testing of all sensors, two transmission lines were constructed to transmit known pulsed fields and currents over the sensors.

Statistical analysis of electric field parameters for negative lightning in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wooi, Chin-Leong; Abdul-Malek, Zulkurnain; Ahmad, Noor-Azlinda; El Gayar, Ali I.

2016-08-01

This paper presents a comparative study on the electric field and its derivative parameters of negative lightning in Malaysia and other regions. This study is the first in Malaysia where the parameters of negative electric field and its derivative are thoroughly analyzed. 104 negative lightning flashes containing 277 negative return strokes occurring within 10-100 km from the measuring station and recorded during monsoon period in the state of Johor, Malaysia had been analyzed. It was found that 73% of the recorded flashes are multiple strokes with an average multiplicity of 2.6 strokes per flash. For first return strokes, the arithmetic mean (AM) of initial peak electric field and the AM of initial peak electric field derivative are 21.8 V/m and 11.3 V/m/μs, respectively. The initial peaks of electric field and its derivative for first return strokes are larger than those for the subsequent return strokes. Comparison of overall results with those obtained earlier in Sri Lanka, Germany, Sweden, Japan, Florida indicates that several electric field and its derivative parameters are affected by propagation media and geographical region. Similarity of results with other countries having the same climatic condition is also observed.

Electro-Optic Lightning Detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koshak, William J.; Solakiewica, R. J.

1998-01-01

Electric field measurements are fundamental to the study of thunderstorm electrification, thundercloud charge structure, and the determination of the locations and magnitudes of charges deposited by lightning. Continuous field observations can also be used to warn of impending electrical hazards. For example, the USAF Eastern Range (ER) and NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida currently operate a ground-based network of electric field mill sensors to warn against lightning hazards to space vehicle operations/launches. The sensors provide continuous recordings of the ambient field. Others investigators have employed flat-plate electric field antennas to detect changes In the ambient field due to lightning. In each approach, electronic circuitry is used to directly detect and amplify the effects of the ambient field on an exposed metal conductor (antenna plate); in the case of continuous field recordings, the antenna plate is alternately shielded and unshielded by a grounded conductor. In this work effort, an alternate optical method for detecting lightning-caused electric field changes is Introduced. The primary component in the detector is an anisotropic electro-optic crystal of potassium di-hydrogen phosphate (chemically written as KH2PO4 (KDP)). When a voltage Is placed across the electro-optic crystal, the refractive Indices of the crystal change. This change alters the polarization state of a laser light beam that is passed down the crystal optic axis. With suitable application of vertical and horizontal polarizers, a light transmission measurement is related to the applied crystal voltage (which in turn Is related to the lightning caused electric field change). During the past two years, all critical optical components were procured, assembled, and aligned. An optical housing, calibration set-up, and data acquisition system was integrated for breadboard testing. The sensor was deployed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in the summer of 1998 to collect storm data. Because solid-state technology is used, future designs of the sensor will be significantly scaled down In physical dimension and weight compared to the present optical breadboard prototype. The use of fiber optics would also provide significant practical improvements.

The feasibility of inflight measurement of lightning strike parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crouch, K. E.; Plumer, J. A.

1978-01-01

The appearance of nonmetallic structural materials and microelectronics in aircraft design has resulted in a need for better knowledge of hazardous environments such as lightning and the effects these environments have on the aircraft. This feasibility study was performed to determine the lightning parameters in the greatest need of clarification and the performance requirements of equipment necessary to sense and record these parameters on an instrumented flight research aircraft. It was found that electric field rate of change, lightning currents, and induced voltages in aircraft wiring are the parameters of greatest importance. Flat-plate electric field sensors and resistive current shunts are proposed for electric field and current sensors, to provide direct measurements of these parameters. Six bit analog-to-digital signal conversion at a 5 nanosecond sampling rate, short-term storage of 85000 bits and long term storage of 5 x 10 to the 7th power bits of electric field, current and induced voltage data on the airplane are proposed, with readout and further analysis to be accomplished on the ground. A NASA F-106B was found to be suitable for use as the research aircraft because it has a minimum number of possible lightning attachment points, space for the necessary instrumentation, and appears to meet operational requirements. Safety considerations are also presented.

Correlation Of Terrestrial gamma flashes, Electric fields, and Lightning strikes (COTEL) in thunderstorms using networked balloon payloads developed by university and community college students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landry, B. J.; Blair, D.; Causey, J.; Collins, J.; Davis, A.; Fernandez-Kim, V.; Kennedy, J.; Pate, N.; Kearney, C.; Schayer, C.; Turk, E.; Cherry, M. L.; Fava, C.; Granger, D.; Stewart, M.; Guzik, T. G.

2017-12-01

High energy gamma ray flashes from terrestrial sources have been observed by satellites for decades, but the actual mechanism, assumed to be thunderstorm lightning, has yet to be fully characterized. The goal of COTEL, funded by NASA through the University Student Instrument Project (USIP) program, is to correlate in time TGF events, lightning strikes, and electric fields inside of thunderstorms. This will be accomplished using a small network of balloon-borne payloads suspended in and around thunderstorm environments. The payloads will detect and timestamp gamma radiation bursts, lightning strikes, and the intensity of localized electric fields. While in flight, data collected by the payloads will be transmitted to a ground station in real-time and will be analyzed post-flight to investigate potential correlations between lightning, TGFs, and electric fields. The COTEL student team is in its second year of effort having spent the first year developing the basic balloon payloads and ground tracking system. Currently the team is focusing on prototype electric field and gamma radiation detectors. Testing and development of these systems will continue into 2018, and flight operations will take place during the spring 2018 Louisiana thunderstorm season. The presentation, led by undergraduate Physics student Brad Landry, will cover the student team effort in developing the COTEL system, an overview of the system architecture, balloon flight tests conducted to date, preliminary results from prototype detectors, lessons learned for student-led science projects, and future plans.

Comparison of fast electric field changes from subsequent return strokes of natural and triggered lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le Vine, D. M.; Willett, J. C.; Bailey, J. C.

1989-01-01

Fast electric field changes from subsequent return strokes of natural and triggered lightning with propagation paths almost entirely over water are compared. Data were collected at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, during the summer of 1987. Comparisons have been made of the average shape, the risetime, and the spectrum of the electric field changes. To a first approximation, the waveforms are very similar; however, the electric field changes from the triggered flashes tend to rise to peak faster and decay faster than do their counterparts in natural cloud-to-ground flashes.

Natural Electrotransformation of Lightning-Competent Pseudomonas sp. Strain N3 in Artificial Soil Microcosms

PubMed Central

Cérémonie, Hélène; Buret, François; Simonet, Pascal; Vogel, Timothy M.

2006-01-01

The lightning-competent Pseudomonas sp. strain N3, recently isolated from soil, has been used to study the extent of natural electrotransformation (NET) or lightning transformation as a horizontal gene transfer mechanism in soil. The variation of electrical fields applied to the soil with a laboratory-scale lightning system provides an estimate of the volume of soil affected by NET. Based on the range of the electric field that induces NET of Pseudomonas strain N3, the volume of soil, where NET could occur, ranges from 2 to 950 m3 per lightning strike. The influence of DNA parameters (amount, size, and purity) and DNA soil residence time were also investigated. NET frequencies (electrotransformants/recipient cells) ranged from 10−8 for cell lysate after 1 day of residence in soil to 4 × 10−7 with a purified plasmid added immediately before the lightning. The electrical field gradient (in kilovolts per cm) also played a role as NET frequencies ranging from 1 × 10−5 at 2.3 kV/cm to 1.7 × 10−4 at 6.5 kV/cm. PMID:16597934

The Effect of a Corona Discharge on a Lightning Attachment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aleksandrov, N.L.; Bazelyan, E.M.; Raizer, Yu.P.

2005-01-15

The interaction between the lightning leader and the space charge accumulated near the top of a ground object in the atmospheric electric field is considered using analytical and numerical models developed earlier to describe spark discharges in long laboratory gaps. The specific features of a nonstationary corona discharge that develops in the electric field of a thundercloud and a downward lightning leader are analyzed. Conditions for the development of an upward lightning discharge from a ground object and for the propagation of an upward-connecting leader from the object toward a downward lightning leader (the process determining the point of strikemore » to the ground) are investigated. Possible mechanisms for the interaction of the corona space charge with an upward leader and prospects of using it to control downward lightning discharges are analyzed.« less

Extensive air showers, lightning, and thunderstorm ground enhancements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chilingarian, A.; Hovsepyan, G.; Kozliner, L.

2016-09-01

For lightning research, we monitor particle fluxes from thunderclouds, the so-called thunderstorm ground enhancements (TGEs) initiated by runaway electrons, and extensive air showers (EASs) originating from high-energy protons or fully stripped nuclei that enter the Earth's atmosphere. We also monitor the near-surface electric field and atmospheric discharges using a network of electric field mills. The Aragats "electron accelerator" produced several TGEs and lightning events in the spring of 2015. Using 1-s time series, we investigated the relationship between lightning and particle fluxes. Lightning flashes often terminated the particle flux; in particular, during some TGEs, lightning events would terminate the particle flux thrice after successive recovery. It was postulated that a lightning terminates a particle flux mostly in the beginning of a TGE or in its decay phase; however, we observed two events (19 October 2013 and 20 April 2015) when the huge particle flux was terminated just at the peak of its development. We discuss the possibility of a huge EAS facilitating lightning leader to find its path to the ground.

Department of Defense Interface Standard Electromagnetic Environmental Effects Requirements for Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-19

effective tool in evaluating IMI. A5.2.2 Shipboard internal electromagnetic environment (EME). For ship applications, electric fields (peak V/m-rms...effects waveform parameters ........................................ 9 MIL-STD-464A v CONTENTS Page TABLES 2B Electromagnetic fields from near...blasting of hardware. 3.8 Lightning indirect effects. Electrical transients induced by lightning due to coupling of electromagnetic fields . 3.9

Ground level gamma-ray and electric field enhancements during disturbed weather: Combined signatures from convective clouds, lightning and rain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reuveni, Yuval; Yair, Yoav; Price, Colin; Steinitz, Gideon

2017-11-01

We report coincidences of ground-level gamma-ray enhancements with precipitation events and strong electric fields typical of thunderstorms, measured at the Emilio Segre Cosmic Ray observatory located on the western slopes of Mt. Hermon in northern Israel. The observatory hosts 2 × 2″ Nal(TI) gamma ray scintillation detectors alongside a vertical atmospheric electric field (Ez) mill and conduction current (Jz) plates. During several active thunderstorms that occurred near the Mt. Hermon station in October and November 2015, we recorded prolonged periods of gamma ray enhancements, which lasted tens of minutes and coincided with peaks both in precipitation and the vertical electric field. Two types of events were detected: slow increase (up to 300 min) of atmospheric gamma ray radiation due to radon progeny washout (or rainout) along with minutes of Ez enhancement, which were not associated with the occurrences of nearby CG lightning discharges. The second type showed 30 min bursts of gamma rays, coinciding with minutes of Ez enhancement that closely matched the occurrences of nearby CG lightning discharges, and are superimposed on the radiation from radon daughters washed out to near surface levels by precipitation. We conclude that a superposition of accelerated high energy electrons by thunderstorm electric fields and radon progeny washout (or rainout) explains the relatively fast near surface gamma-ray increase, where the minutes-scale vertical electric field enhancement are presumably caused due to nearby convective clouds. Our results show that the mean exponential half-life depletion times of the residual nuclei produced during events without lightning occurrences were between 25-65 min, compared to 55-100 min when lightning was present, indicating that different types of nuclei were involved.

Radiation from lightning return strokes over a finitely conducting earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le Vine, D. M.; Gesell, L.; Kao, Michael

1986-01-01

The effects of the conductivity of the earth on radiation from lightning return strokes are examined theoretically using a piecewise linear transmission line model for the return stroke. First, calculations are made of the electric field radiated during the return stroke, and then this electric field is used to compute the response of conventional AM radio receivers and electric field change systems during the return stroke. The calculations apply to the entire transient waveform (they are not restricted to the initial portions of the return stroke) and yield fast field changes and RF radiation in agreement with measurements made during real lightning. This research was motivated by measurements indicating that a time delay exists between the time of arrival of the fast electric field change and the RF radiation from first return strokes. The time delay is on the order of 20 microsec for frequencies in the HF-UHF range for lightning in Florida. The time delay is obtained theoretically in this paper. It occurs when both the effects of attenuation due to conductivity of the earth, and the finite velocity of propagation of the current pulse up the return stroke channel, are taken into account in the model.

Lightning spectra at 100,000 fps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McHarg, M. G.; Harley, J.; Haaland, R. K.; Edens, H. E.; Stenbaek-Nielsen, H.

2016-12-01

A fundamental understanding of lightning can be inferred from the spectral emissions resulting from the leader and return stroke channel. We examine an event recorded at 00:58:07 on 19 July 2015 at Langmuir Laboratory. We recorded lightning spectra using a 100 line per mm grating in front of a Phantom V2010 camera with an 85mm Nikon lens recording at 100,000 frames per second. Coarse resolution spectra (approximately 5nm resolution) are produced from approximately 400 nm to 800 nm for each frame. Electric field data from the Langmuir Electric Field Array for the 03:19:19 event show 10 V/m changes in the electric field associated with multiple return strokes visible in the spectral data. We used the spectral data to compare temperatures at the top, middle and bottom of the lightning channel. Lightning Mapping Array data at Langmuir for the 00:58:07 event show a complex flash extending 10 km in the East-West plane and 6 km in the North-South plane. The imagery data imply that this is a bolt-from-the-blue event.

Lightning electric field measurements which correlate with strikes to the NASA F-106B aircraft, 22 July 1980

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, D. M.

1981-01-01

Ground-based data collected on lightning monitoring equipment operated by Goddard Space Flight Center at Wallops Island, Virginia, during a storm being monitored by NASA's F-106B, are presented. The slow electric field change data and RF radiation data were collected at the times the lightning monitoring equipment on the aircraft was triggered. The timing of the ground-based events correlate well with events recorded on the aircraft and provide an indication of the type of flash with which the aircraft was involved.

Middle atmosphere electrical energy coupling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hale, L. C.

1989-01-01

The middle atmosphere (MA) has long been known as an absorber of radio waves, and as a region of nonlinear interactions among waves. The region of highest transverse conductivity near the top of the MA provides a common return for global thunderstorm, auroral Birkeland, and ionospheric dynamo currents, with possibilities for coupling among them. Their associated fields and other transverse fields map to lower altitudes depending on scale size. Evidence now exists for motion-driven aerosol generators, and for charge trapped at the base of magnetic field lines, both capable of producing large MA electric fields. Ionospheric Maxwell currents (curl H) parallel to the magnetic field appear to map to lower altitudes, with rapidly time-varying components appearing as displacement currents in the stratosphere. Lightning couples a (primarily ELF and ULF) current transient to the ionosphere and magnetosphere whose wave shape is largely dependent on the MA conductivity profile. Electrical energy is of direct significance mainly in the upper MA, but electrodynamic transport of minor constituents such as smoke particles or CN may be important at other altitudes.

Reply [to “Comment on ‘Is Venus alive?’”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Harry A., Jr.

In his comment, Frederick Scarf asserts that many statements and interpretations contained in my Forum are wrong and that he proposes to correct the record. The opposite is in fact the case, and his response adds no substantiation to the claim that there is extensive lightning and currently active volcanism at Venus.My colleagues and I have shown (H. A. Taylor, Jr., et al., “Reply,” Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 91, p. 4599, 1986) that there is a high degree of correlation between the electric field noise and the ionospheric disturbances driven by the solar wind—ionosphere interaction and that the noise is not preferentially clustered over mountainous terrain. These results run counter to the interpretation of the noise as evidence of lightning and I stand on this evidence.

Lightning Prediction using Electric Field Measurements Associated with Convective Events at a Tropical Location

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jana, S.; Chakraborty, R.; Maitra, A.

2017-12-01

Nowcasting of lightning activities during intense convective events using a single electric field monitor (EFM) has been carried out at a tropical location, Kolkata (22.65oN, 88.45oE). Before and at the onset of heavy lightning, certain changes of electric field (EF) can be related to high liquid water content (LWC) and low cloud base height (CBH). The present study discusses the utility of EF observation to show a few aspects of convective events. Large convective cloud showed by high LWC and low CBH can be detected from EF variation which could be a precursor of upcoming convective events. Suitable values of EF gradient can be used as an indicator of impending lightning events. An EF variation of 0.195 kV/m/min can predict lightning within 17.5 km radius with a probability of detection (POD) of 91% and false alarm rate (FAR) of 8% with a lead time of 45 min. The total number of predicted lightning strikes is nearly 9 times less than that measured by the lightning detector. This prediction technique can, therefore, give an estimate of cloud to ground (CG) and intra cloud (IC) lighting occurrences within the surrounding area. This prediction technique involving POD, FAR and lead time information shows a better prediction capability compared to the techniques reported earlier. Thus an EFM can be effectively used for prediction of lightning events at a tropical location.

Lightning and middle atmospheric discharges in the atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siingh, Devendraa; Singh, R. P.; Kumar, Sarvan; Dharmaraj, T.; Singh, Abhay K.; Singh, Ashok K.; Patil, M. N.; Singh, Shubha

2015-11-01

Recent development in lightning discharges including transient luminous events (TLEs) and global electric circuit are discussed. Role of solar activity, convective available potential energy, surface temperature and difference of land-ocean surfaces on convection process are discussed. Different processes of discharge initiation are discussed. Events like sprites and halos are caused by the upward quasi-electrostatic fields associated with intense cloud-to-ground discharges while jets (blue starter, blue jet, gigantic jet) are caused by charge imbalance in thunderstorm during lightning discharges but they are not associated with a particular discharge flash. Elves are generated by the electromagnetic pulse radiated during lightning discharges. The present understanding of global electric circuit is also reviewed. Relation between lightning activity/global electric circuit and climate is discussed.

Nighttime observations of thunderstorm electrical activity from a high altitude airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brook, M.; Vonnegut, B.; Orville, R. E.; Vaughan, O. H., Jr.

1984-01-01

Nocturnal thunderstorms were observed from above and features of cloud structure and lightning which are not generally visible from the ground are discussed. Most, lightning activity seems to be associated with clouds with strong convective cauliflower tops. In both of the storms lightning channels were visible in the clear air above the cloud. It is shown that substances produced by thunderstorm electrical discharges can be introduced directly into the stratosphere. The cause and nature of the discharges above the cloud are not clear. They may be produced by accumulations of space charge in the clear air above the cloud. The discharges may arise solely because of the intense electric fields produced by charges within the cloud. In the latter case the ions introduced by these discharges will increase the electrical conductivity of the air above the cloud and increase the conduction current that flows from the cloud to the electrosphere. More quantitative data at higher resolution may show significant spectral differences between cloud to ground and intracloud strokes. It is shown that electric field change data taken with an electric field change meter mounted in an airplane provide data on lightning discharges from above that are quite similar to those obtained from the ground in the past. The optical signals from dart leaders, from return strokes, and from continuing currents are recognizable, can be used to provide information on the fine structure of lightning, and can be used to distinguish between cloud to ground and intracloud flashes.

Horizontal fields generated by return strokes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooray, Vernon

1991-01-01

Horizontal fields generated by return strokes play an important role in the interaction of lightning generated electric fields with power lines. In many of the recent investigations on the interaction of lightning electromagnetic fields with power lines, the horizontal field was calculated by employing the expression for the tilt of the electric field of a plane wave propagating over finitely conducting earth. The method is suitable for calculating horizontal fields generated by return strokes at distances as close as 200m. At these close ranges, the use of the wavetilt expression can cause large errors.

A system for mapping sources of VHF and electric field pulses from in-cloud lightning at KSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomson, Ewen M.; Medelius, Pedro J.

1991-01-01

The literature concerning VHF radiation and wideband electric fields from in-cloud lightning is reviewed. VHF location systems give impressive radio images of lightning in clouds with high spatial and temporal resolution. Using systems based on long and short baseline time-or-arrival and interferometry, workers have detected VHF sources that move at speeds of 10(exp 5) to 10(exp 8) m/s. The more slowly moving sources appear to be associated with channel formation but the physical basis for the higher speeds is not clear. In contrast, wideband electric fields are directly related to physical parameters such as current and tortuosity. A long baseline system is described to measure simultaneously VHF radiation and wideband electric fields at five stations at Kennedy Space Center. All signals are detected over remote, isolated ground planes with fiber optics for data transmission. The modification of this system to map rapidly varying dE/dt pulses is discussed.

Estimated intensity of the EMP from lightning discharges necessary for elves initiation based on balloon experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondo, S.; Yoshida, A.; Takahashi, Y.; Chikada, S.; Adachi, T.; Sakanoi, T.

2007-12-01

Transient optical phenomena in the mesosphere and lower ionosphere called transient luminous events (TLEs) have been investigated extensively since the first discovery in 1989. In the lower ionosphere, elves are generated by the electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) radiated from the intense lightning current. On the ground-based observation, cameras can not always identify the occurrence of elves because elves emission is sometimes reduced significantly by the atmosphere and blocked by clouds. Therefore, it has been difficult to determine the threshold of intensity of EMPs necessary for initiation of elves. We simultaneously carried out optical and sferics measurements for TLEs and lightning discharges using a high altitude balloon launched at Sanriku Balloon Center on the night of August 25 / 26 in 2006. We fixed four CCD cameras on the gondola, each of which had horizontal FOV of ~100 degree. They cover 360 degree in horizontal direction and imaged the TLEs without atmospheric extinction nor blocking by clouds. The frame rate is 30 fps. We installed three dipole antennas at the gondola, which received the vertical and horizontal electric fields radiated from lightning discharges. The frequency range of the VLF receiver is 1-25 kHz. We also make use of VLF sferics data obtained by ground-based antennas located at Tohoku University in Sendai. We picked up six elves from the image data set obtained by the CCD cameras, and examined the maximum amplitudes of the vertical electric field for 22 lightning discharge events including the six elves events observed both at the balloon and at Sendai. It is found that the maximum amplitudes of the vertical electric field in the five elves events are much larger than those in the other lightning events. We estimate the intensity of the radiated electric field necessary for elves. About one elves event, we don't see intense vertical electric field in the balloon data.

Analysis on the spectra and synchronous radiated electric field observation of cloud-to-ground lightning discharge plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cen Jianyong; Yuan Ping; Qu Haiyan

2011-11-15

According to the spectra of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning discharge plasma captured by a slit-less spectrograph and the information of synchronous radiated electric field, the temperatures, the total intensity of spectra, the peak value of current and its action integral of discharge plasma channel have been calculated. Furthermore, the correlativity of these parameters has been analyzed for the first time. The results indicate that the total intensity of spectra has a positive correlation to the discharge current in different strokes of one CG lightning, and the temperature of discharge plasma is direct proportion to the action integral in the first returnmore » strokes of different lightning.« less

Near surface gamma-ray and electric field enhancements during disturbed weather: combined signatures from convective clouds, lightning and rain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reuveni, Yuval; Yair, Yoav; Price, Colin; Steinitz, Gideon

2017-04-01

We present correlations found between ground-level gamma-ray enhancements with precipitation and strong electric fields typical of thunderstorms. The data was obtained at the Cosmic Ray Observatory located on the western slopes of Mt. Hermon in northern Israel (altitude 2020 m ASL). During several thunderstorms in October and November 2015, we recorded extended periods of gamma ray enhancements, which lasted tens of minutes and coincided with peaks both in precipitation and the vertical electric field (Ez). We distinguish between two types of events based on the behavior of these parameters: (a) slow increase (up to 300 minutes) of atmospheric gamma ray radiation due to radon progeny washout along with minutes of Ez enhancement, which were not associated with the occurrences of near-by CG lightning discharges, and (b) rapid 30 minutes-long bursts of gamma rays, coinciding with much shorter Ez enhancements that were associated with the occurrences of near-by CG lightning discharges, and were superimposed on the radiation from radon daughters at ground level washed out by precipitation. We conclude that the superposition of accelerated high energy electrons by thunderstorm electric fields with the radon progeny washout explains the relatively fast gamma-ray increase observed at ground level, where the minutes-scale vertical electric field enhancement are presumably caused due to near-by convective clouds. Our results show that the mean half-life depletion times of the residual nuclei that were produced during events without lightning occurrences were between 25-65 minutes, compared to 55-100 minutes when lightning were present, indicating that different types of nuclei were involved.

Study of electric field distorted by space charges under positive lightning impulse voltage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zezhong; Geng, Yinan

2018-03-01

Actually, many insulation problems are related to electric fields. And measuring electric fields is an important research topic of high-voltage engineering. In particular, the electric field distortion caused by space charge is the basis of streamer theory, and thus quantitatively measuring the Poisson electric field caused by space charge is significant to researching the mechanism of air gap discharge. In this paper, we used our photoelectric integrated sensor to measure the electric field distribution in a 1-m rod-plane gap under positive lightning impulse voltage. To verify the reliability of this quantitative measurement, we compared the measured results with calculated results from a numerical simulation. The electric-field time domain waveforms on the axis of the 1-m rod-plane out of the space charge zone were measured with various electrodes. The Poisson electric fields generated by space charge were separated from the Laplace electric field generated by applied voltages, and the amplitudes and variations were measured for various applied voltages and at various locations. This work also supplies the feasible basis for directly measuring strong electric field under high voltage.

Voltages induced on a power distribution line by overhead cloud lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yacoub, Ziad; Rubinstein, Marcos; Uman, Martin A.; Thomson, Ewen M.; Medelius, Pedro J.

1991-01-01

Voltages induced by overhead cloud lightning on a 448 m open circuited power distribution line and the corresponding north-south component of the lightning magnetic field were simultaneously measured at the NASA Kennedy Space Center during the summer of 1986. The incident electric field was calculated from the measured magnetic field. The electric field was then used as an input to the computer program, EMPLIN, that calculated the voltages at the two ends of the power line. EMPLIN models the frequency domain field/power coupling theory found, for example, in Ianoz et al. The direction of the source, which is also one of the inputs to EMPLIN, was crudely determined from a three station time delay technique. The authors found reasonably good agreement between calculated and measured waveforms.

Statistical patterns in the location of natural lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoghzoghy, F. G.; Cohen, M. B.; Said, R. K.; Inan, U. S.

2013-01-01

Lightning discharges are nature's way of neutralizing the electrical buildup in thunderclouds. Thus, if an individual discharge destroys a substantial fraction of the cloud charge, the probability of a subsequent flash is reduced until the cloud charge separation rebuilds. The temporal pattern of lightning activity in a localized region may thus inherently be a proxy measure of the corresponding timescales for charge separation and electric field buildup processes. We present a statistical technique to bring out this effect (as well as the subsequent recovery) using lightning geo-location data, in this case with data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) and from the GLD360 Network. We use this statistical method to show that a lightning flash can remove an appreciable fraction of the built up charge, affecting the neighboring lightning activity for tens of seconds within a ˜ 10 km radius. We find that our results correlate with timescales of electric field buildup in storms and suggest that the proposed statistical tool could be used to study the electrification of storms on a global scale. We find that this flash suppression effect is a strong function of flash type, flash polarity, cloud-to-ground flash multiplicity, the geographic location of lightning, and is proportional to NLDN model-derived peak stroke current. We characterize the spatial and temporal extent of the suppression effect as a function of these parameters and discuss various applications of our findings.

Response of lightning energy and total electron content with sprites over Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suparta, W.; Yusop, N.

2017-05-01

This paper investigates the response of the lightning energy with the total electron content (TEC) derived from GPS over Antarctic Peninsula during St Patrick’s geomagnetic storm. During this event, sprite as one of the mesospheric transient luminous events (TLEs) associated with positive cloud-to-ground (+CG) lightning discharges can be generated. In this work, GPS and lightning data for the period from 14 to 20 March 2015 is analyzed. Geomagnetic activity and electric field data are also processed to relate the geomagnetic storm and lightning. Results show that during St Patrick’s geomagnetic storm, the lighting energy was produced up to ∼257 kJ. The ionospheric TEC was obtained 60 TECU, 38 TECU and 78 TECU between 18:00 and 21:00 UT for OHI3, PALV and ROTH stations, respectively. The peak of lightning energy was observed 14 hours after peaked of TEC. Sprite possibly generated through the electrical coupling process between the top cloud, middle and upper atmosphere with the DC electric field found to be ∼10 mVm-1 which leading to the sprite generation after the return strokes on 18 March 2015.

Database Design for the Evaluation of On-shore and Off-Shore Storm Characteristics over East Central Florida

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simpson, Amy A.; Wilson, Jennifer G.; Brown, Robert G.

2015-01-01

Data from multiple sources is needed to investigate lightning characteristics over differing terrain (on-shore vs. off-shore) by comparing natural cloud-to-ground lightning behavior differences depending on the characteristics of attachment mediums. The KSC Lightning Research Database (KLRD) was created to reduce manual data entry time and aid research by combining information from various data sources into a single record for each unique lightning event of interest. The KLRD uses automatic data handling functions to import data from a lightning detection network and identify and record lighting events of interest. Additional automatic functions import data from the NASA Buoy 41009 (located approximately 20 miles off the coast) and the KSC Electric Field Mill network, then match these electric field mill values to the corresponding lightning events. The KLRD calculates distances between each lightning event and the various electric field mills, aids in identifying the location type for each stroke (i.e., on-shore vs. off-shore, etc.), provides statistics on the number of strokes per flash, and produces customizable reports for quick retrieval and logical display of data. Data from February 2014 to date covers 48 unique storm dates with 2295 flashes containing 5700 strokes, of which 2612 are off-shore and 1003 are on-shore. The number of strokes per flash ranges from 1 to 22. The ratio of single to subsequent stroke flashes is 1.29 for off-shore strokes and 2.19 for on-shore strokes.

Rocket-triggered lightning strikes and forest fire ignition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fenner, James H.

1989-01-01

Background information on the rocket-triggered lightning project at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), a summary of the forecasting problem there, the facilities and equipment available for undertaking field experiments at KSC, previous research activity performed, a description of the atmospheric science field laboratory near Mosquito Lagoon on the KSC complex, methods of data acquisition, and present results are discussed. New sources of data for the 1989 field experiment include measuring the electric field in the lower few thousand feet of the atmosphere by suspending field measuring devices below a tethered balloon. Problems encountered during the 1989 field experiment are discussed. Future prospects for both triggered lightning and lightning-kindled forest fire research at KSC are listed.

International Aerospace and Ground Conference on Lightning and Static Electricity, 10th, and Congres International Aeronautique, 17th, Paris, France, June 10-13, 1985, Proceedings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1985-12-01

The conference presents papers on statistical data and standards, coupling and indirect effects, meteorology and thunderstorm studies, lightning simulators, fuel ignition hazards, the phenomenology and characterization of lightning, susceptibility and protection of avionics, ground systems protection, lightning locators, aircraft systems protection, structures and materials, electrostatics, and spacecraft protection against static electricity. Particular attention is given to a comparison of published HEMP and natural lightning on the surface of an aircraft, electromagnetic interaction of external impulse fields with aircraft, of thunderstorm currents and lightning charges at the NASA Kennedy Space Center, the design of a fast risetime lightning generator, lightning simulation tests in FAA CV-580 lightning research aircraft, and the energy requirements of an aircraft triggered discharge. Papers are also presented on aircraft lightning attachment at low altitudes, a new form of transient suppressor, a proving ground for lightning research, and a spacecraft materials test in a continuous, broad energy-spectrum electron beam.

Scientific Lightning Detection Network for Kazakhstan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streltsov, A. V.; Lozbin, A.; Inchin, A.; Shpadi, Y.; Inchin, P.; Shpadi, M.; Ayazbayev, G.; Bykayev, R.; Mailibayeva, L.

2015-12-01

In the frame of grant financing of the scientific research in 2015-2017 the project "To Develop Electromagnetic System for lightning location and atmosphere-lithosphere coupling research" was found. The project was start in January, 2015 and should be done during 3 years. The purpose is to create a system of electromagnetic measurements for lightning location and atmosphere-lithosphere coupling research consisting of a network of electric and magnetic sensors and the dedicated complex for data processing and transfer to the end user. The main tasks are to set several points for electromagnetic measurements with 100-200 km distance between them, to develop equipment for these points, to develop the techniques and software for lightning location (Time-of-arrival and Direction Finding (TOA+DF)) and provide a lightning activity research in North Tien-Shan region with respect to seismicity and other natural and manmade activities. Also, it is planned to use lightning data for Global Electric Circuit (GEC) investigation. Currently, there are lightning detection networks in many countries. In Kazakhstan we have only separate units in airports. So, we don't have full lightning information for our region. It is planned, to setup 8-10 measurement points with magnetic and electric filed antennas for VLF range. The final data set should be including each stroke location, time, type (CG+, CG-, CC+ or CC-) and waveform from each station. As the magnetic field lightning antenna the ferrite rod VLF antenna will be used. As the electric field antenna the wide range antenna with specific frequencies filters will be used. For true event detection TOA and DF methods needs detected stroke from minimum 4 stations. In this case we can get location accuracy about 2-3 km and better.

Rocket-triggered lightning strikes and forest fire ignition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fenner, James

1990-01-01

The following are presented: (1) background information on the rocket-triggered lightning project an Kennedy Space Center (KSC); (2) a summary of the forecasting problem; (3) the facilities and equipment available for undertaking field experiments at KSC; (4) previous research activity performed; (5) a description of the atmospheric science field laboratory near Mosquito Lagoon on the KSC complex; (6) methods of data acquisition; and (7) present results. New sources of data for the 1990 field experiment include measuring the electric field in the lower few thousand feet of the atmosphere by suspending field measuring devices below a tethered balloon, and measuring the electric field intensity in clouds and in the atmosphere with aircraft. The latter program began in July of 1990. Also, future prospects for both triggered lightning and forest fire research at KSC are listed.

A review of natural lightning - Experimental data and modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Uman, M. A.; Krider, E. P.

1982-01-01

A critical review is presented of the currents and the electric and magnetic fields characteristic of each of the salient discharge processes which make up cloud-to-ground and intracloud lightning. Emphasis is placed on the more recent work in which measured waveform variation is in the microsecond and submicrosecond range, since it is this time-scale that is of primary importance in lightning/aircraft interactions. The state-of-the-art of the modeling of lightning currents and fields is discussed in detail. A comprehensive bibliography is given of all literature relating to both lightning measurements and models.

Experimental and analytic studies of the triggered lightning environment of the F106B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudolph, Terence; Easterbrook, Calvin C.; Ng, Poh H.; Haupt, Robert W.; Perala, Rodney A.

1987-01-01

The triggered lightning environment of the F106B aircraft is investigated. Scale modeling of the F106B with a metallized model was done to measure electric field enhancement factors on the aircraft and on canonically shaped conducting objects. These are then compared to numerically determined quantities. Detailed numerical modeling is done of the development of the triggered lightning channel. This is done using nonlinear air chemistry models to model a variety of physical phenomena which occur in a triggered lightning event. The effect of a triggered lightning strike on internal wires in the F106B is investigated using finite difference models and transmission line models to calculate the electromagnetic coupling of lightning currents through seams and joints of the aircraft to internal cables. Time domain waveforms are computed and compared to measured waveforms. The effect of thunderstorm particles on the initial triggering of a lightning strike is investigated. The electric field levels needed to cause air breakdown in the presence and absence of thunderstorm particles are calculated. This is done as a function of the size, shape, and density of the particles.

Exploring the Use of Radar for a Physically Based Lightning Cessation Nowcasting Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schultz, Elise V.; Petersen, Walter A.; Carey, Lawrence D.

2011-01-01

NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) are collaborating with the 45th Weather Squadron (45WS) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) to enable improved nowcasting of lightning cessation. This project centers on use of dual-polarimetric radar capabilities, and in particular, the new C-band dual-polarimetric weather radar acquired by the 45WS. Special emphasis is placed on the development of a physically based operational algorithm to predict lightning cessation. While previous studies have developed statistically based lightning cessation algorithms, we believe that dual-polarimetric radar variables offer the possibility to improve existing algorithms through the inclusion of physically meaningful trends reflecting interactions between in-cloud electric fields and hydrometeors. Specifically, decades of polarimetric radar research using propagation differential phase has demonstrated the presence of distinct phase and ice crystal alignment signatures in the presence of strong electric fields associated with lightning. One question yet to be addressed is: To what extent can these ice-crystal alignment signatures be used to nowcast the cessation of lightning activity in a given storm? Accordingly, data from the UAHuntsville Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR) along with the NASA-MSFC North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array are used in this study to investigate the radar signatures present before and after lightning cessation. Thus far, our case study results suggest that the negative differential phase shift signature weakens and disappears after the analyzed storms ceased lightning production (i.e., after the last lightning flash occurred). This is a key observation because it suggests that while strong electric fields may still have been present, the lightning cessation signature encompassed the period of the polarimetric negative phase shift signature. To the extent this behavior is repeatable in other cases, even if only in a substantial fraction of those cases, the case analyses suggests that differential propagation phase may prove to be a useful parameter for future lightning cessation algorithms. Indeed, analysis of 15+ cases has shown additional indications of the weakening and disappearance of this ice alignment signature with lightning cessation. A summary of results will be presented.

System and Method of Locating Lightning Strikes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Medelius, Pedro J. (Inventor); Starr, Stanley O. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

A system and method of determining locations of lightning strikes has been described. The system includes multiple receivers located around an area of interest, such as a space center or airport. Each receiver monitors both sound and electric fields. The detection of an electric field pulse and a sound wave are used to calculate an area around each receiver in which the lighting is detected. A processor is coupled to the receivers to accurately determine the location of the lighting strike. The processor can manipulate the receiver data to compensate for environmental variables such as wind, temperature, and humidity. Further, each receiver processor can discriminate between distant and local lightning strikes.

Terrestrial gamma-ray flash production by lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlson, Brant E.

Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are brief flashes of gamma-rays originating in the Earth's atmosphere and observed by satellites. First observed in 1994 by the Burst And Transient Source Experiment on board the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, TGFs consist of one or more ˜1 ms pulses of gamma-rays with a total fluence of ˜1/cm2, typically observed when the satellite is near active thunderstorms. TGFs have subsequently been observed by other satellites to have a very hard spectrum (harder than dN/d E ∝ 1/ E ) that extends from below 25 keV to above 20 MeV. When good lightning data exists, TGFs are closely associated with measurable lightning discharge. Such discharges are typically observed to occur within 300 km of the sub-satellite point and within several milliseconds of the TGF observation. The production of these intense energetic bursts of photons is the puzzle addressed herein. The presence of high-energy photons implies a source of bremsstrahlung, while bremsstrahlung implies a source of energetic electrons. As TGFs are associated with lightning, fields produced by lightning are naturally suggested to accelerate these electrons. Initial ideas about TGF production involved electric fields high above thunderstorms as suggested by upper atmospheric lightning research and the extreme energies required for lower-altitude sources. These fields, produced either quasi-statically by charges in the cloud and ionosphere or dynamically by radiation from lightning strokes, can indeed drive TGF production, but the requirements on the source lightning are too extreme and therefore not common enough to account for all existing observations. In this work, studies of satellite data, the physics of energetic electron and photon production, and consideration of lightning physics motivate a new mechanism for TGF production by lightning current pulses. This mechanism is then developed and used to make testable predictions. TGF data from satellite observations are compared to the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the physics of energetic photon production and propagation in air. These comparisons are used to constrain the TGF source altitude, energy, and directional distribution, and indicate a broadly-beamed low-altitude source inconsistent with production far above thunderstorms as previously suggested. The details of energetic electron production by electric fields in air are then examined. In particular, the source of initial high-energy electrons that are accelerated and undergo avalanche multiplication to produce bremsstrahlung is studied and the properties of these initial seed particles as produced by cosmic rays are determined. The number of seed particles available indicates either extremely large amplification of the number of seed particles or an alternate source of seeds. The low-altitude photon source and alternate source of seed particles required by these studies suggest a production mechanism closely-associated with lightning. A survey of lightning physics in the context of TGF emission indicates that current pulses along lightning channels may trigger TGF production by both producing strong electric fields and a large population of candidate seed electrons. The constraints on lightning physics, thunderstorm physics, and TGF physics all allow production by this mechanism. A computational model of this mechanism is then presented on the basis of a method of moments simulation of charge and current on a lightning channel. Calculation of the nearby electric fields then drives Monte Carlo simulations of energetic electron dynamics which determine the properties of the resulting bremsstrahlung. The results of this model compare quite well with satellite observations of TGFs subject to requirements on the ambient electric field and the current pulse magnitude and duration. The model makes quantitative predictions about the TGF source altitude, directional distribution, and lightning association that are in overall agreement with existing TGF observations and may be tested in more detail in future experiments.

RSRM top hat cover simulator lightning test, volume 2. Appendix A: Resistance measurements. Appendix B: Lightning test data plots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Resistance measurements are given in graphical for when a simulated lightning discharge strikes on an exposed top hat cover simulator. The test sequence was to measure the electric and magnetic fields induced inside a redesigned solid rocket motor case.

Radar Differential Phase Signatures of Ice Orientation for the Prediction of Lightning Initiation and Cessation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carey, L.D.; Petersen, W.A.; Deierling, W.

2009-01-01

The majority of lightning-related casualties typically occur during thunderstorm initiation (e.g., first flash) or dissipation (e.g., last flash). The physics of electrification and lightning production during thunderstorm initiation is fairly well understood. As such, the literature includes a number of studies presenting various radar techniques (using reflectivity and, if available, other dual-polarimetric parameters) for the anticipation of initial electrification and first lightning flash. These radar techniques have shown considerable skill at forecasting first flash. On the other hand, electrical processes and lightning production during thunderstorm dissipation are not nearly as well understood and few, if any, successful techniques have been developed to anticipate the last flash and subsequent cessation of lightning. One promising approach involves the use of dual-polarimetric radar variables to infer the presence of oriented ice crystals in lightning producing storms. In the absence of strong vertical electric fields, ice crystals fall with their largest (semi-major) axis in the horizontal associated with gravitational and aerodynamic forces. In thunderstorms, strong vertical electric fields (100-200 kV m(sup -1)) have been shown to orient small (less than 2 mm) ice crystals such that their semi-major axis is vertical (or nearly vertical). After a lightning flash, the electric field is typically relaxed and prior radar research suggests that ice crystals rapidly resume their preferred horizontal orientation. In active thunderstorms, the vertical electric field quickly recovers and the ice crystals repeat this cycle of orientation for each nearby flash. This change in ice crystal orientation from primarily horizontal to vertical during the development of strong vertical electric fields prior to a lightning flash forms the physical basis for anticipating lightning initiation and, potentially, cessation. Research has shown that radar reflectivity (Z) and other co-polar back-scattering radar measurements like differential reflectivity (Z(sub dr)) typically measured by operational dual-polarimetric radars are not sensitive to these changes in ice crystal orientation. However, prior research has demonstrated that oriented ice crystals cause significant propagation effects that can be routinely measured by most dual-polarimetric radars from X-band (3 cm) to S-band (10 cm) wavelengths using the differential propagation phase shift (often just called differential phase, phi(sub dp)) or its range derivative, the specific differential phase (K(sub dp)). Advantages of the differential phase include independence from absolute or relative power calibration, attenuation, differential attenuation and relative insensitivity to ground clutter and partial beam occultation effects (as long as the signal remains above noise). In research mode, these sorts of techniques have been used to anticipate initial cloud electrification, lightning initiation, and cessation. In this study, we develop a simplified model of ice crystal size, shape, orientation, dielectric, and associated radar scattering and propagation effects in order to simulate various idealized scenarios of ice crystals responding to a hypothetical electric field and their dual-polarimetric radar signatures leading up to lightning initiation and particularly cessation. The sensitivity of the K(sub dp) ice orientation signature to various ice properties and radar wavelength will be explored. Since K(sub dp) is proportional to frequency in the Rayleigh- Gans scattering regime, the ice orientation signatures should be more obvious at higher (lower) frequencies (wavelengths). As a result, simulations at radar wavelengths from 10 cm down to 1 cm (Ka-band) will be conducted. Resonance effects will be considered using the T-matrix method. Since most K(sub dp) Vbased observations have been shown at S-band, we will present ice orientation signatures from C-band (UAH/NASA ARMOR) and X-bd (UAH MAX) dual-polarimetric radars located in Northern Alabama. Issues related to optimal radar scanning for the detection of oriented ice will be discussed. Preliminary suggestions on how these differential phase signatures of oriented ice could contribute to lightning initiation and cessation algorithms will be presented.

Calculations of lightning return stroke electric and magnetic fields above ground

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Master, M. J.; Uman, M. A.; Ling, Y. T.; Standler, R. B.

1981-01-01

Lin et al., (1980) presented a lightning return stroke model with which return stroke electric and magnetic fields measured at ground level could be reproduced. This model and a modified version of it, in which the initial current peak decays with height above ground, are used to compute waveforms for altitudes from 0-10 km and at ranges of 20 m to 10 km. Both the original and modified models gave accurate predictions of measured ground-based fields. The use of the calculated fields in calibrating airborne field measurements from simultaneous ground and airborne data is discussed.

Low-frequency RF Coupling To Unconventional (Fat Unbalanced) Dipoles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ong, M M; Brown, C G; Perkins, M P

2010-12-07

The report explains radio frequency (RF) coupling to unconventional dipole antennas. Normal dipoles have thin equal length arms that operate at maximum efficiency around resonance frequencies. In some applications like high-explosive (HE) safety analysis, structures similar to dipoles with ''fat'' unequal length arms must be evaluated for indirect-lightning effects. An example is shown where a metal drum-shaped container with HE forms one arm and the detonator cable acts as the other. Even if the HE is in a facility converted into a ''Faraday cage'', a lightning strike to the facility could still produce electric fields inside. The detonator cable concentratesmore » the electric field and carries the energy into the detonator, potentially creating a hazard. This electromagnetic (EM) field coupling of lightning energy is the indirect effect of a lightning strike. In practice, ''Faraday cages'' are formed by the rebar of the concrete facilities. The individual rebar rods in the roof, walls and floor are normally electrically connected because of the construction technique of using metal wire to tie the pieces together. There are two additional requirements for a good cage. (1) The roof-wall joint and the wall-floor joint must be electrically attached. (2) All metallic penetrations into the facility must also be electrically connected to the rebar. In this report, it is assumed that these conditions have been met, and there is no arcing in the facility structure. Many types of detonators have metal ''cups'' that contain the explosives and thin electrical initiating wires, called bridge wires mounted between two pins. The pins are connected to the detonator cable. The area of concern is between the pins supporting the bridge wire and the metal cup forming the outside of the detonator. Detonator cables usually have two wires, and in this example, both wires generated the same voltage at the detonator bridge wire. This is called the common-mode voltage. The explosive component inside a detonator is relatively sensitive, and any electrical arc is a concern. In a safety analysis, the pin-to-cup voltage, i.e., detonator voltage, must be calculated to decide if an arc will form. If the electric field is known, the voltage between any two points is simply the integral of the field along a line between the points. Eq. 1.1. For simplicity, it is assumed that the electric field and dipole elements are aligned. Calculating the induced detonator voltage is more complex because of the field concentration caused by metal components. If the detonator cup is not electrically connected to the metal HE container, the portion of the voltage generated by the dipole at the detonator will divide between the container-to-cup and cup-to-pin gaps. The gap voltages are determined by their capacitances. As a simplification, it will be assumed the cup is electrically attached, short circuited, to the HE container. The electrical field in the pin-to-cup area is determined by the field near the dipole, the length of the dipole, the shape of the arms, and the orientation of the arms. Given the characteristics of a lightning strike and the inductance of the facility, the electric fields in the ''Faraday cage'' can be calculated. The important parameters for determining the voltage in an empty facility are the inductance of the rebars and the rate of change of the current, Eq. 1.3. The internal electric fields are directly related to the facility voltages, however, the electric fields in the pin-to-cup space is much higher than the facility fields because the antenna will concentrate the fields covered by the arms. Because the lightning current rise-time is different for every strike, the maximum electric field and the induced detonator voltage should be described by probability distributions. For pedantic purposes, the peak field in the simulations will be simply set to 1 V/m. Lightning induced detonator voltages can be calculated by scaling up with the facility fields. Any metal object around the explosives, such as a work stand, will also distort the electric fields. A computer simulation of the electric fields in a facility with a work stand and HE container is shown. In this configuration, the work stand is grounded, and the intensity of field around the HE (denoted in dark blue) is reduced relative to the rest of the work bay (denoted lighter blue). The area above work stand posts has much higher fields indicated by red. The fields on top of the container are also affected. Without an understanding of how the electric fields are distributed near the detonator cable and container, it is not possible to calculate the induced detonator voltage. The average lightning current has rise- and fall-times of 3 us and 50 us respectively, and this translates to a wavelength that is long when compared with the length of the HE container or detonator cable.« less

Lightning Magnetic Field Measurements around Langmuir Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stock, M.; Krehbiel, P. R.; Rison, W.; Aulich, G. D.; Edens, H. E.; Sonnenfeld, R. G.

2010-12-01

In the absence of artificial conductors, underground lightning transients are produced by diffusion of the horizontal surface magnetic field of a return stroke vertically downward into the conducting earth. The changing magnetic flux produces an orthogonal horizontal electric field, generating a dispersive, lossy transverse electromagnetic wave that penetrates a hundred meters or more into the ground according to the skin depth of the medium. In turn, the electric field produces currents that flow toward or away from the channel to ground depending on the stroke polarity. The underground transients can produce large radial horizontal potential gradients depending on the distance from the discharge and depth below the surface. In this study we focus on the surface excitation field. The goal of the work is to compare measurements of surface magnetic field waveforms B(t) at different distances from natural lightning discharges with simple and detailed models of the return stroke fields. In addition to providing input to the diffusion mechanism, the results should aid in further understanding return stroke field generation processes. The observational data are to be obtained using orthogonal sets of straightened Rogowski coils to measure magnetic field waveforms in N-S and E-W directions. The waveforms are sampled at 500 kS/s over 1.024 second time intervals and recorded directly onto secure digital cards. The instrument operates off of battery power for several days or weeks at a time in remote, unattended locations and measures magnetic field strengths of up to several tens of amperes/meter. The observations are being made in conjunction with collocated slow electric field change measurements and under good 3-D lightning mapping array (LMA) and fast electric field change coverage.

Time Correlations of Lightning Flash Sequences in Thunderstorms Revealed by Fractal Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gou, Xueqiang; Chen, Mingli; Zhang, Guangshu

2018-01-01

By using the data of lightning detection and ranging system at the Kennedy Space Center, the temporal fractal and correlation of interevent time series of lightning flash sequences in thunderstorms have been investigated with Allan factor (AF), Fano factor (FF), and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) methods. AF, FF, and DFA methods are powerful tools to detect the time-scaling structures and correlations in point processes. Totally 40 thunderstorms with distinguishing features of a single-cell storm and apparent increase and decrease in the total flash rate were selected for the analysis. It is found that the time-scaling exponents for AF (αAF) and FF (αFF) analyses are 1.62 and 0.95 in average, respectively, indicating a strong time correlation of the lightning flash sequences. DFA analysis shows that there is a crossover phenomenon—a crossover timescale (τc) ranging from 54 to 195 s with an average of 114 s. The occurrence of a lightning flash in a thunderstorm behaves randomly at timescales <τc but shows strong time correlation at scales >τc. Physically, these may imply that the establishment of an extensive strong electric field necessary for the occurrence of a lightning flash needs a timescale >τc, which behaves strongly time correlated. But the initiation of a lightning flash within a well-established extensive strong electric field may involve the heterogeneities of the electric field at a timescale <τc, which behave randomly.

Hy-wire and fast electric field change measurements near an isolated thunderstorm, appendix C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holzworth, R. H.; Levine, D. M.

1983-01-01

Electric field measurements near an isolated thunderstorm at 6.4 km distance are presented from both a tethered balloon experiment called Hy-wire and also from ground based fast and slow electric field change systems. Simultaneous measurements were made of the electric fields during several lightning flashes at the beginning of the storm which the data clearly indicate were cloud-to-ground flashes. In addition to providing a comparison between the Hy-wire technique for measuring electric fields and more traditional methods, these data are interesting because the lightning flashes occurred prior to changes in the dc electric field, although Hy-wire measured changes in the dc field of up to 750 V/m in the direction opposite to the fair weather field a short time later. Also, the dc electric field was observed to decay back to its preflash value after each flash. The data suggest that Hy-wire was at the field reversal distance from this storm and suggest the charge realignment was taking place in the cloud with a time constant on the order of 20 seconds.

Experimental observations of strengthening the neutron flux during negative lightning discharges of thunderclouds with tripolar configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toropov, A. A.; Kozlov, V. I.; Mullayarov, V. A.; Starodubtsev, S. A.

2013-03-01

We consider neutron bursts (Yakutsk cosmic ray spectrograph,105 m above sea level) and the electric field during lightning discharges. It was found that the neutron bursts are observed in the negative lightning discharg only. We discuss the possibility of generation of neutrons in the lower part (the point of impact into the ground) lightning discharge.

RSRM top hat cover simulator lightning test, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The test sequence was to measure electric and magnetic fields induced inside a redesigned solid rocket motor case when a simulated lightning discharge strikes an exposed top hat cover simulator. The test sequence was conducted between 21 June and 17 July 1990. Thirty-six high rate-of-rise Marx generator discharges and eight high current bank discharges were injected onto three different test article configurations. Attach points included three locations on the top hat cover simulator and two locations on the mounting bolts. Top hat cover simulator and mounting bolt damage and grain cover damage was observed. Overall electric field levels were well below 30 kilowatts/meter. Electric field levels ranged from 184.7 to 345.9 volts/meter and magnetic field levels were calculated from 6.921 to 39.73 amperes/meter. It is recommended that the redesigned solid rocket motor top hat cover be used in Configuration 1 or Configuration 2 as an interim lightning protection device until a lightweight cover can be designed.

Transcranial stimulability of phosphenes by long lightning electromagnetic pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peer, J.; Kendl, A.

2010-06-01

The electromagnetic pulses of rare long (order of seconds) repetitive lightning discharges near strike point (order of 100 m) are analyzed and compared to magnetic fields applied in standard clinical transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) practice. It is shown that the time-varying lightning magnetic fields and locally induced electric fields are in the same order of magnitude and frequency as those established in TMS experiments to study stimulated perception phenomena, like magnetophosphenes. Lightning electromagnetic pulse induced transcranial magnetic stimulation of phosphenes in the visual cortex is concluded to be a plausible interpretation of a large class of reports on luminous perceptions during thunderstorms.

Lightning and Life on Exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimmer, Paul; Ardaseva, Aleksandra; Hodosan, Gabriella; Helling, Christiane

2016-07-01

Miller and Urey performed a ground-breaking experiment, in which they discovered that electric discharges through a low redox ratio gas of methane, ammonia, water vapor and hydrogen produced a variety of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Since this experiment, there has been significant interest on the connection between lightning chemistry and the origin of life. Investigation into the atmosphere of the Early Earth has generated a serious challenge for this project, as it has been determined both that Earth's early atmosphere was likely dominated by carbon dioxide and molecular nitrogen with only small amounts of hydrogen, having a very high redox ratio, and that discharges in gases with high redox ratios fail to yield more than trace amounts of biologically relevant products. This challenge has motivated several origin of life researchers to abandon lightning chemistry, and to concentrate on other pathways for prebiotic synthesis. The discovery of over 2000 exoplanets includes a handful of rocky planets within the habitable zones around their host stars. These planets can be viewed as remote laboratories in which efficient lightning driven prebiotic synthesis may take place. This is because many of these rocky exoplanets, called super-Earths, have masses significantly greater than that of Earth. This higher mass would allow them to more retain greater amounts hydrogen within their atmosphere, reducing the redox ratio. Discharges in super-Earth atmospheres can therefore result in a significant yield of amino acids. In this talk, I will discuss new work on what lightning might look like on exoplanets, and on lightning driven chemistry on super-Earths. Using a chemical kinetics model for a super-Earth atmosphere with smaller redox ratios, I will show that in the presence of lightning, the production of the amino acid glycine is enhanced up to a certain point, but with very low redox ratios, the production of glycine is again inhibited. I will conclude with a discussion on a promising alternative to lightning driven prebiotic chemistry, ultraviolet light (UV) driven chemistry, and will discuss why a UV source breaking bonds seems more effective than lightning shocks at producing a variety of prebiotic species.

Global lightning studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, Steven J.; Wright, Pat; Christian, Hugh; Blakeslee, Richard; Buechler, Dennis; Scharfen, Greg

1991-01-01

The global lightning signatures were analyzed from the DMSP Optical Linescan System (OLS) imagery archived at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Transition to analysis of the digital archive becomes available and compare annual, interannual, and seasonal variations with other global data sets. An initial survey of the quality of the existing film archive was completed and lightning signatures were digitized for the summer months of 1986 to 1987. The relationship is studied between: (1) global and regional lightning activity and rainfall, and (2) storm electrical development and environment. Remote sensing data sets obtained from field programs are used in conjunction with satellite/radar/lightning data to develop and improve precipitation estimation algorithms, and to provide a better understanding of the co-evolving electrical, microphysical, and dynamical structure of storms.

A thundercloud electric field sounding - Charge distribution and lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weber, M. E.; Few, A. A.; Stewart, M. F.; Christian, H. J.

1982-01-01

An instrumented free balloon measured electric fields and field changes as it rose through a thundercloud above Langmuir Laboratory, New Mexico. The variation of the electric field with altitude implied that the cloud contained negative space charge of density -0.6 to -4 nC/cu m between 5.5 and 8.0 km MSL. The environmental temperature at these levels ranged from -5 to -20 C. The measurements imply that the areal extent of this negative charge center was significantly greater than that of the cloud's intense precipitation shafts. At altitudes greater than 8 km, the instrument ascended past net positive charge. In addition, positive space charge adjacent to the earth's surface (concentration 0.6 nC/cu m and in the lowest portion of the cloud (1.0 nC/cu m) is inferred from the measurements. Electric field changes from intracloud lightning were interpreted by using a simple model for the developing streamer of the initial phase. Thunder source reconstructions provided estimates for the orientation of lightning channels. Seven 'streamers' so analyzed propagated on the average, at 50,000 m/s and carried a current of 390 A. The mean charge dissipated during a flash was 30 C.

Absorption of gamma-ray photons in a vacuum neutron star magnetosphere: II. The formation of "lightnings"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Istomin, Ya. N.; Sob'yanin, D. N.

2011-10-01

The absorption of a high-energy photon from the external cosmic gamma-ray background in the inner neutron star magnetosphere triggers the generation of a secondary electron-positron plasma and gives rise to a lightning—a lengthening and simultaneously expanding plasma tube. It propagates along magnetic fields lines with a velocity close to the speed of light. The high electron-positron plasma generation rate leads to dynamical screening of the longitudinal electric field that is provided not by charge separation but by electric current growth in the lightning. The lightning radius is comparable to the polar cap radius of a radio pulsar. The number of electron-positron pairs produced in the lightning in its lifetime reaches 1028. The density of the forming plasma is comparable to or even higher than that in the polar cap regions of ordinary pulsars. This suggests that the radio emission from individual lightnings can be observed. Since the formation time of the radio emission is limited by the lightning lifetime, the possible single short radio bursts may be associated with rotating radio transients (RRATs).

Absorption of gamma-ray photons in a vacuum neutron star magnetosphere: II. The formation of 'lightnings'

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Istomin, Ya. N., E-mail: istomin@lpi.ru; Sob'yanin, D. N., E-mail: sobyanin@lpi.ru

2011-10-15

The absorption of a high-energy photon from the external cosmic gamma-ray background in the inner neutron star magnetosphere triggers the generation of a secondary electron-positron plasma and gives rise to a lightning-a lengthening and simultaneously expanding plasma tube. It propagates along magnetic fields lines with a velocity close to the speed of light. The high electron-positron plasma generation rate leads to dynamical screening of the longitudinal electric field that is provided not by charge separation but by electric current growth in the lightning. The lightning radius is comparable to the polar cap radius of a radio pulsar. The number ofmore » electron-positron pairs produced in the lightning in its lifetime reaches 10{sup 28}. The density of the forming plasma is comparable to or even higher than that in the polar cap regions of ordinary pulsars. This suggests that the radio emission from individual lightnings can be observed. Since the formation time of the radio emission is limited by the lightning lifetime, the possible single short radio bursts may be associated with rotating radio transients (RRATs).« less

Atmospheric Electricity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aplin, Karen; Fischer, Georg

2018-02-01

Electricity occurs in atmospheres across the Solar System planets and beyond, spanning spectacular lightning displays in clouds of water or dust, to more subtle effects of charge and electric fields. On Earth, lightning is likely to have existed for a long time, based on evidence from fossilized lightning strikes in ancient rocks, but observations of planetary lightning are necessarily much more recent. The generation and observations of lightning and other atmospheric electrical processes, both from within-atmosphere measurements, and spacecraft remote sensing, can be readily studied using a comparative planetology approach, with Earth as a model. All atmospheres contain charged molecules, electrons, and/or molecular clusters created by ionization from cosmic rays and other processes, which may affect an atmosphere's energy balance both through aerosol and cloud formation, and direct absorption of radiation. Several planets are anticipated to host a "global electric circuit" by analogy with the circuit occurring on Earth, where thunderstorms drive current of ions or electrons through weakly conductive parts of the atmosphere. This current flow may further modulate an atmosphere's radiative properties through cloud and aerosol effects. Lightning could potentially have implications for life through its effects on atmospheric chemistry and particle transport. It has been observed on many of the Solar System planets (Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) and it may also be present on Venus and Mars. On Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn, lightning is thought to be generated in deep water and ice clouds, but discharges can be generated in dust, as for terrestrial volcanic lightning, and on Mars. Other, less well-understood mechanisms causing discharges in non-water clouds also seem likely. The discovery of thousands of exoplanets has recently led to a range of further exotic possibilities for atmospheric electricity, though lightning detection beyond our Solar System remains a technical challenge to be solved.

Lightning Attachment to Wind Turbines in Central Kansas: Video Observations, Correlation with the NLDN and in-situ Peak Current Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, J.; Cummins, K. L.; Hutchinson, M.; Nag, A.

2012-12-01

Lightning attachment to tall objects has been studied for decades. The attachment of lightning to electric power transmission towers in elevated terrain has driven much of the quantitative assessment of lightning characteristics in the 1970's and 80's. This has led to the understanding that in flat terrain, the probability of upward-initiated lightning is negligible for tower heights less than 100 m. For tower heights greater than 100, the probability increases roughly linearly with the log of height, reaching 100% at a height of 400 m. Additionally, the probability of upward initiation increases when the object resides on locally-elevated terrain. Over the last decade, there has been renewed interest in the study of lightning attachment to tall objects in general, and wind turbines in particular, following the establishment of large "wind farms" in lightning-prone regions. In this study, we present video observations, radiation magnetic field, and in-situ peak current measurements of lightning from an ongoing field program in a large wind farm in north-central Kansas, located in the U.S. Central Great Plains. The terrain variations within the wind farm are small rolling hills with peak variations on the order of 25 m. All turbines had a turbine hub height of 80 m, and a blade tip maximum height of 125 m. Two digital video camera systems (60 fields-per-second) were configured to self-trigger 2-second video sequences using a sequential-field-subtraction scene analysis (ufo-Capture). The two cameras had a common field of view that included 8 of the wind turbines. Nearby NLDN sensors were configured to record information that allows reconstruction of magnetic field waveforms within the bandwidth of the NLDN sensors. Some of the turbines were equipped with semi-quantitative in-situ peak current measuring devices. To date, more than 100 cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes have terminated within the perimeter of the wind farm. Video observations of flashes that attached to turbines (all to turbine blades) include five natural (downward leader) flashes and two "upward flashes" (fully developed upward leaders lasting 10's of milliseconds). Both upward flashes appear to have been triggered by nearby positive CG flashes, resulting in upward (presumably positive) leaders. Selected video observations in conjunction with NLDN data and waveform measurements, and in situ current measurements obtained during this campaign, will be presented and discussed in the context of storm characteristics. Differences with previous findings for fixed towers (no rotating blades) will also be discussed.

On the Magnitude of the Electric Field Near Thunderstorm-Associated Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merceret, Francis J.; Ward, Jennifer G.; Mach, Douglas M.; Bateman, Monte G.; Dye, James E.

2007-01-01

Electric field measurements made in and near clouds during two airborne field mill programs are presented. Aircraft equipped with multiple electric field mills and cloud physics sensors were flown near active convection and into thunderstorm anvil and debris clouds. The magnitude of the electric field was measured as a function of position with respect to the cloud edge in order to provide an observational basis for modifications to the lightning launch commit criteria (LLCC) used by the U.S. space program. These LLCC are used to reduce the risk that an ascending launch vehicle will trigger a lightning strike that could cause the loss of the mission or vehicle. The results suggest that even with fields of tens of kV/m inside electrically active convective clouds, the fields external to these clouds decay to less than 3 kV/m within fifteen kilometers of cloud edge. Fields exceeding 3 kV/m were not found external to anvil and debris clouds.

Summary of lightning activities by NASA for the Apollo Soyuz test project: Supplement no. 1 to Apollo Soyuz mission evaluation report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

To avoid the possibility of an unnecessary launch delay, a special program was initiated to provide aircraft measurement of electric fields at various altitudes over the Apollo vehicle launch pad. Eight aircraft, each equipped with electric field meters, were used in the program. This program and some of the more important findings are discussed. Also included is a summary of the history of manned space vehicle involvement with lightning, a brief description of the lightning instrumentation in use at KSC (Kennedy Space Center) at the time of the Apollo Soyuz mission and a discussion of the airborne instrumentation and related data.

Submicrosecond risetimes in lightning return-stroke fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weidman, C. D.; Krider, E. P.

1980-01-01

Measurements of lightning electric field, E, and dE/dt signatures have been made near Tampa Bay, Florida, under conditions where the lightning locations were known and where the results were not significantly affected by the response time of the measuring system or groundwave propagation. The fast transitions found on the initial portion of return-stroke fields have 10-90% risetimes ranging from 40 to 200 nsec, with a mean of 90 nsec. The maximum field derivatives during return strokes range from 5 to 75 V/m per microsec with a mean of 29 V/m per microsec when normalized to a distance of 100 km. These field risetime and derivative values suggest that return-stroke currents contain large, submicrosecond components, and this in turn suggests that it may be necessary to reevaluate the possible effects of lightning and the performance of lightning-protection devices in many situations.

Three-dimensional time domain model of lightning including corona effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Podgorski, Andrew S.

1991-01-01

A new 3-D lightning model that incorporates the effect of corona is described for the first time. The new model is based on a Thin Wire Time Domain Lightning (TWTDL) Code developed previously. The TWTDL Code was verified during the 1985 and 1986 lightning seasons by the measurements conducted at the 553 m CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario. The inclusion of corona in the TWTDL code allowed study of the corona effects on the lightning current parameters and the associated electric field parameters.

Venus - Dead or alive?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Harry A., Jr.; Cloutier, Paul A.

1986-01-01

In situ nightside electric field observations from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter have been interpreted as evidence of extensive lightning in the lower atmosphere of Venus. The scenario, including proposed evidence of clustering of lightning over surface highland regions, has encouraged the acceptance of currently active volcanic output as part of several investigations of the dynamics and chemistry of the atmosphere and the geology of the planet. However, the correlation between the 100-hertz electric field events attributed to lightning and nightside ionization troughs resulting from the interaction of the solar wind with the ionosphere indicates that the noise results from locally generated plasma instabilities and not from any behavior of the lower atmosphere. Furthemore, analysis of the spatial distribution of the noise shows that it is not clustered over highland topography, but rather occurs at random throughout the latitude and longitude regions sampled by the orbiter during the first 5 years of operation, from 1978 to 1984. Thus the electric field observations do not identify lightning and do not provide a basis for inferring the presence of currently active volcanic output. In the absence of known evidence to the contrary, it appears that Venus is no longer active.

Global Electric Circuit Implications of Combined Aircraft Storm Electric Current Measurements and Satellite-Based Diurnal Lightning Statistics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mach, Douglas M.; Blakeslee, Richard J.; Bateman, Monte G.

2011-01-01

Using rotating vane electric field mills and Gerdien capacitors, we measured the electric field profile and conductivity during 850 overflights of thunderstorms and electrified shower clouds (ESCs) spanning regions including the Southeastern United States, the Western Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, Central America and adjacent oceans, Central Brazil, and the South Pacific. The overflights include storms over land and ocean, and with positive and negative fields above the storms. Over three-quarters (78%) of the land storms had detectable lightning, while less than half (43%) of the oceanic storms had lightning. Integrating our electric field and conductivity data, we determined total conduction currents and flash rates for each overpass. With knowledge of the storm location (land or ocean) and type (with or without lightning), we determine the mean currents by location and type. The mean current for ocean thunderstorms is 1.7 A while the mean current for land thunderstorms is 1.0 A. The mean current for ocean ESCs 0.41 A and the mean current for land ESCs is 0.13 A. We did not find any significant regional or latitudinal based patterns in our total conduction currents. By combining the aircraft derived storm currents and flash rates with diurnal flash rate statistics derived from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) and Optical Transient Detector (OTD) low Earth orbiting satellites, we reproduce the diurnal variation in the global electric circuit (i.e., the Carnegie curve) to within 4% for all but two short periods of time. The agreement with the Carnegie curve was obtained without any tuning or adjustment of the satellite or aircraft data. Given our data and assumptions, mean contributions to the global electric circuit are 1.1 kA (land) and 0.7 kA (ocean) from thunderstorms, and 0.22 kA (ocean) and 0.04 (land) from ESCs, resulting in a mean total conduction current estimate for the global electric circuit of 2.0 kA. Mean storm counts are 1100 for land thunderstorms, 530 for ocean ESCs, 390 for ocean thunderstorms, and 330 for land ESCs.

Electrical measurements in the atmosphere and the Ionosphere over an active thunderstorm. II - Direct current electric fields and conductivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holzworth, R. H.; Kelley, M. C.; Siefring, C. L.; Hale, L. C.; Mitchell, J. D.

1985-01-01

On August 9, 1981, a series of three rockets was launched over an air mass thunderstorm off the eastern seaboard of Virginia while simultaneous stratospheric and ground-based electric field measurements were made. The conductivity was substantially lower at most altitudes than the conductivity profiles used by theoretical models. Direct current electric fields over 80 mV/m were measured as far away as 96 km from the storm in the stratosphere at 23 km altitude. No dc electric fields above 75 km altitude could be identified with the thunderstorm, in agreement with theory. However, vertical current densities over 120 pA/sq m were seen well above the classical 'electrosphere' (at 50 or 60 km). Frequent dc shifts in the electric field following lightning transients were seen by both balloon and rocket payloads. These dc shifts are clearly identifiable with either cloud-to-ground (increases) or intercloud (decreases) lightning flashes.

The Monitoring Of Thunderstorm In Sao Paulo's Urban Areas, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gin, R. B.; Pereira, A.; Beneti, C.; Jusevicius, M.; Kawano, M.; Bianchi, R.; Bellodi, M.

2005-12-01

A monitoring of thunderstorm in urban areas occurred in the vicinity of Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo from November 2004 to March 2005. Eight thunderstorms were monitored by local electric field, video camera, Brazilian Lightning Location Network (RINDAT) and weather radar. The most of these thunderstorms were associated with the local convection and cold front. Some of these events presented floods in the vicinity of Sao Bernardo and in the Metropolitan Area of Sao Paulo (MASP) being associated with local sea breeze circulation and the heat island effect. The convectives cells exceeding 100km x 100 km of area, actives between 2 and 3 hours. The local electric field identified the electrification stage of thunderstorms, high transients of lightning and total lightning rate of above 10 flashes per minute. About 29.5 thousands of cloud-to-ground lightning flashes were analyzed . From the total set of CG flashes analyzed, about 94 percent were negative strokes and presented average peak current of above 25kA, common for this region. Some lightning images were obtained by video camera and compared with transients of lightning and lightning detection network data. The most of these transients of lightning presented continuing current duration between 100ms and 200ms. A CG lightning occurred on 25th February was visually observed 3.5km from FEI campus, Sao Bernardo do Campo. This lightning presented negative polarity and estimed peak current of above 30kA. A spider was visually observed over FEI Campus at 17th March. No transients of lightning and recording by lightning location network were found.

Electric fields preceding cloud-to-ground lightning flashes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beasley, W.; Uman, M. A.; Rustan, P. L., Jr.

1982-06-01

A detailed analysis is presented of the electric-field variations preceding the first return strokes of 80 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in nine different storms observed at the NASA Kennedy Space Center during the summers of 1976 and 1977. It is suggested that the electric-field variations can best be characterized as having two sections: preliminary variations and stepped leader. The stepped-leader change begins during a transition period of a few milliseconds marked by characteristic bipolar pulses; the duration of stepped leaders lies most frequently in the 6-20 millisecond range. It is also suggested that there is only one type of stepped leader, not two types (alpha and beta) often referred to in the literature.

Modelling of streamer ignition and propagation in the system of two approaching hydrometeors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jansky, J.; Pasko, V. P.

2017-12-01

The lightning initiation in low thundercloud fields represents an unsolved problem in lightning discharge physics. One of the initial conditions required for formation of a hot leader channel is initiation of non-thermal streamer discharges. Streamers can be initiated from electron avalanches, however, the problem of existence of an electric field strong enough for streamer initiation in thunderclouds is still open. The maximum electric field in thunderstorms measured by balloons is typically 3-4 kV cm-1 atm-1, that is significantly smaller than the breakdown electric field needed for avalanche multiplication of electrons Ek≃28.7 kV cm-1 atm-1. One of the possible explanations for the streamer corona initiation is that hydrometeors greatly intensify the local electric field by at least an order of magnitude to initiate an electron avalanche. It was suggested that a particle pair or chain create more favorable conditions for initiation of lightning discharge than a single precipitation particle in low electric fields. Recently Cai et al. [GRL, 44, 5758-5765, 2017] analyzed the ignition conditions for two hydrometeors of same radii. In the present work we use streamer fluid model to study streamer initiation scenarios in a system of two hydrometeors with different radii. When the hydrometeors are approaching the Townsend discharge may develop first between them. Then the Townsend discharge transforms to streamer and two hydrometeors connect electrically, which leads to increase of the electric field on the outside hemispheres of hydrometeors. This increase of field for two particles of same radii was analyzed by Cooray et al. [Proceedings of 24th International Conference on Lightning Protection, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 1998]. The combination of small and large hydrometeors leads to higher enhancement on the outside of small hydrometeor. Simulation results show that streamer ignites there and propagates away from two hydrometeors. The streamer ignites at fields below Meek criterion due to the effects of photoionization feedback [Naidis, JPD, 38, 2211-2214, 2005; Liu et al., JASTP, 80, 179-186, 2012].

Electric field studies: TLE-induced waveforms and ground conductivity impact on electric field propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farges, Thomas; Garcia, Geraldine; Blanc, Elisabeth

2010-05-01

We review in this paper main results obtained from electric field (from VLF to HF) measurement campaigns realized by CEA in the framework of the Eurosprite program [Neubert et al., 2005, 2008] from 2003 to 2009 in France in different configurations. Two main topics have been studied: sprite or elve induced phenomena (radiation or perturbation) and wave propagation. Using a network of 4 stations, VLF radiations from sprite have been successfully located at 10 km from the sprite parent lightning, in agreement with possible sprite location, generally displaced from the parent lightning. The MF (300 kHz - 3 MHz) source bursts were identified simultaneously with the occurrence of sprites observed with cameras [Farges et al., 2004; Neubert et al., 2008]. These observations are compared to recent broadband measurements, assumed to be due to relativistic electron beam radiation related to sprites [Fullekrug et al., 2009]. Recently, in 2009, with a new instrumentation, an ELF tail has been clearly measured after the lightning waveform, while sprites were observed at about 500 km from our station. This ELF tail is usually observed at distances higher than thousand km and is associated to sprite generation. This opens the capacity to measure the charge moment of the parent-lightning, using such measurement close to the source. Farges et al. [2007] showed that just after a lightning return stroke, a strong transient attenuation is very frequently observed in the MF waves of radio transmissions. They showed that this perturbation is due to heating of the lower ionosphere by the lightning-induced EMP during few milliseconds. These perturbations are then the MF radio signature of the lightning EMP effects on the lower ionosphere, in the same way as elves correspond to their optical signature. The experiment also provided the electric field waveforms directly associated to elves, while lightning were not detected by Météorage. Many of them present a double peak feature. The propagation of the electromagnetic waves generated by lightning has also been studied in the frequency range 1 kHz-1MHz at distances lower than 1000 km from the lightning source. A propagation model has been developed to determine the ground waves which propagate in a homogenous medium using the analytical expression given by Maclean and Wu [1993]. This approach takes into account the electric finite conductivity and the fact that the Earth is spherical, which allow us to deal with over-the-horizon propagation. We installed in 2008 four stations which were more or less aligned - the maximum distance between two stations was about 870 km. Two stations were located close to the Mediterranean Sea and the two others inside the continent, at the centre of France. This station distribution and the observation period (from August to December) allowed statistical and physical studies, such as the influence of the electric conductivity on wave propagation. Comparison of electric field spectra, measured after propagation only over sea and only over ground, showed clearly the effects of ground conductivity on propagation. Comparison between observations and modelling has been used to evaluate the ground conductivity. In the future we will implement the sky-wave inside our model and validate it with the database.

Lightning protection of distribution systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darveniza, M.; Uman, M. A.

1982-09-01

Research work on the lightning protection of distribution systems is described. The rationale behind the planning of the first major phase of the work - the field experiments conducted in the Tampa Bay area during August 1978 and July to September 1979 is explained. The aims of the field work were to characterize lightning in the Tampa Bay area, and to identify the lightning parameters associated with the occurrence of line outages and equipment damage on the distribution systems of the participating utilities. The equipment developed for these studies is fully described. The field work provided: general data on lightning - e.g., electric and magnetic fields of cloud and ground flashes; data from automated monitoring of lightning activity; stroke current waveshapes and peak currents measured at distribution arresters; and line outage and equipment damage on 13 kV networks in the Tampa Bay area. Computer aided analyses were required to collate and to process the accumulated data. The computer programs developed for this work are described.

A case study of the Thunderstorm Research International Project storm of July 11, 1978. I - Analysis of the data base

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nisbet, John S.; Barnard, Theresa A.; Forbes, Gregory S.; Krider, E. Philip; Lhermitte, Roger

1990-01-01

The data obtained at the time of the Thunderstorm Research International Project storm at the Kennedy Space Center on July 11, 1978 are analyzed in a model-independent manner. The data base included data from three Doppler radars, a lightning detection and ranging system and a network of 25 electric field mills, and rain gages. Electric field measurements were used to analyze the charge moments transferred by lightning flashes, and the data were fitted to Weibull distributions; these were used to estimate statistical parameters of the lightning for both intracloud and cloud-to-ground flashes and to estimate the fraction of the flashes which were below the observation threshold. The displacement and the conduction current densities were calculated from electric field measurements between flashes. These values were used to derive the magnitudes and the locations of dipole and monopole generators by least squares fitting the measured Maxwell current densities to the displacement-dominated equations.

Lightning-Discharge Initiation as a Noise-Induced Kinetic Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iudin, D. I.

2017-10-01

The electric fields observed in thunderclouds have the peak values one order of magnitude smaller than the electric strength of air. This fact renders the issue of the lightning-discharge initiation one of the most intriguing problems of thunderstorm electricity. In this work, the lightning initiation in a thundercloud is considered as a noise-induced kinetic transition. The stochastic electric field of the charged hydrometeors is the noise source. The considered kinetic transition has some features which distinguish it from other lightning-initiation mechanisms. First, the dynamic realization of this transition, which is due to interaction of the electron and ion components, is extended for a time significantly exceeding the spark-discharge development time. In this case, the fast attachment of electrons generated by supercritical bursts of the electric field of hydrometeors is balanced during long-term time intervals by the electron-release processes when the negative ions are destroyed. Second, an important role in the transition kinetics is played by the stochastic drift of electrons and ions caused by the small-scale fluctuations of the field of charged hydrometeors. From the formal mathematical viewpoint, this stochastic drift is indistinguishable from the scalar-impurity advection in a turbulent flow. In this work, it is shown that the efficiency of "advective mixing" is several orders of magnitude greater than that of the ordinary diffusion. Third, the considered transition leads to a sharp increase in the conductivity in the exponentially rare compact regions of space against the background of the vanishingly small variations in the average conductivity of the medium. In turn, the spots with increased conductivity are polarized in the mean field followed by the streamer initiation and discharge contraction.

Theoretical Investigations of Dielectric Breakdown in CO2: Implications for Atmospheric Discharges on Mars (and Venus)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riousset, J. A.

2017-12-01

The detection of an atmospheric discharge in the Martian atmosphere by Ruf et al. [GRL, 36, L13202, 2009] supports the idea of a Martian atmospheric electric circuit [Farrell and Desch, JGR, 106, E4, 2001]. However, the lack of subsequent detection of similar events raises the question of the conditions of their initiation, and the existence of Martian lightning remains a controversial question. On Earth, atmospheric electricity manifests itself in the form of glow, corona, streamer, and leader discharges observed as Saint Elmo's fire, sprites, lightning and jets discharges, and other Transient Luminous Events (TLEs). All of these are dielectric breakdown governed by different physics. Their initiation is associated with the crossing of specific electric field thresholds: relativistic runaway, streamer propagation, conventional breakdown, or thermal runaway thresholds, some better understood than others. For example, the initiation of a lightning discharge is known to occur when the local electric field exceeds a value similar to relativistic runaway field, but the exact threshold, as well as the physical mechanisms at work, remain unclear to date. Scaling laws for electric fields (and other quantities) have been established by Pasko et al. [GRL, 25(12), 2123-2126, 1998] and Pasko [NATO Sci. Series, Springer, 253-311, 2006]. In this work, we develop profiles for initiation criteria in air and in other atmospheric environments. We further calculate their associated scaling laws to determine the ability to trigger lightning flashes and TLEs on Mars. This lets us predict the likelihood of electrical discharges and calculate the expected electric field conditions, under which discharges could be observed. We develop the analogy between Earth sand storm [Nicoll et al., Env. Res. Lett., 6, 014001, 2001] and Martian dust storms [Melnik and Parrot, JGR, 103(A12), 1998] to investigate the charge structure and resulting electric fields necessary to initiate dielectric breakdown in the Martian atmosphere. Initiation of electric discharges will be susceptible to local pressure, density, atmospheric composition, and charge structure, and will impact charge moment variations detectable by remote sensing.

University of Florida lightning research at the Kennedy Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Uman, Martin A.; Thomson, Ewen M.

1987-01-01

A variety of basic and applied research programs are being conducted at the Kennedy Space Center. As an example of this research, the paper describes the University of Florida program to characterize the electric and magnetic fields of lightning and the coupling of those fields to utility power lines. Specifically, detailed consideration is given to the measurements of horizontal and vertical electric fields made during the previous three summers at KSC and the simultaneous measurements of the voltages on a 500 m test line made during the past two summers at KSC. Theory to support these measurements is also presented.

D region disturbances caused by electromagnetic pulses from lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, Juan V.; Inan, Umran S.; Bell, Timothy F.

1992-01-01

Attention is given to a simple formulation of the propagation and absorption in a magnetized collisional plasma of EM pulses from lightning which describes the effect of discharge orientation and radiated electric field on the structure and magnitude of heating and secondary ionization in the D region. Radiation from most lightning discharges can heat substantially, but only the most intense (not less than 20 V/m) are likely to cause ionization enhancements not less than 10 percent of the ambient in a single ionization cycle. This dependence on the radiated electric field is modified by the discharge radiation pattern: a horizontal cloud discharge tends to cause larger heating and ionizaton maxima while a vertical return stroke causes disturbances of a larger horizontal extent.

Global Electric Circuit Implications of Total Current Measurements over Electrified Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mach, Douglas M.; Blakeslee, Richard J.; Bateman, Monte G.

2009-01-01

We determined total conduction (Wilson) currents and flash rates for 850 overflights of electrified clouds spanning regions including the Southeastern United States, the Western Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, Central America and adjacent oceans, Central Brazil, and the South Pacific. The overflights include storms over land and ocean, with and without lightning, and with positive and negative Wilson currents. We combined these individual storm overflight statistics with global diurnal lightning variation data from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) and Optical Transient Detector (OTD) to estimate the thunderstorm and electrified shower cloud contributions to the diurnal variation in the global electric circuit. The contributions to the global electric circuit from lightning producing clouds are estimated by taking the mean current per flash derived from the overflight data for land and ocean overflights and combining it with the global lightning rates (for land and ocean) and their diurnal variation derived from the LIS/OTD data. We estimate the contribution of non-lightning producing electrified clouds by assuming several different diurnal variations and total non-electrified storm counts to produce estimates of the total storm currents (lightning and non-lightning producing storms). The storm counts and diurnal variations are constrained so that the resultant total current diurnal variation equals the diurnal variation in the fair weather electric field (+/-15%). These assumptions, combined with the airborne and satellite data, suggest that the total mean current in the global electric circuit ranges from 2.0 to 2.7 kA, which is greater than estimates made by others using other methods.

Measurement of RF lightning emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lott, G. K., Jr.; Honnell, M. A.; Shumpert, T. H.

1981-01-01

A lightning radio emission observation laboratory is described. The signals observed and recorded include HF, VHF and UHF radio emissions, optical signature, electric field measurements, and thunder. The objectives of the station, the equipment used, and the recording methods are discussed.

X-ray Emission from Thunderstorms and Lightning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dwyer, Joseph

2009-07-08

How lightning is initiated in the relatively low electric fields inside thunderclouds and how it can then propagate for tens of kilometers through virgin air are two of the great unsolved problems in the atmospheric sciences.  Until very recently it was believed that lightning was entirely a conventional discharge, involving only low-energy (a few eV) electrons.  This picture changed completely a few years ago with the discovery of intense x-ray emission from both natural cloud-to-ground lightning and rocket-triggered lightning.  This energetic emission cannot be produced by a conventional discharge, and so the presence of x-rays strongly implies that runaway breakdownmore » plays a role in lightning processes.  During runaway breakdown, electrons are accelerated through air to nearly the speed of light by strong electric fields.  These runaway electrons then emit bremsstrahlung x-rays and gamma-rays during collisions with air.  Indeed, the x-ray and gamma-ray emission produced by runaway breakdown near the tops of thunderstorms is bright enough to be seen from outer space, 600 km away.  As a result, the physics used for decades to describe thunderstorm electrification and lightning discharges is incomplete and needs to be revisited. « less

X-ray Emission from Thunderstorms and Lightning

ScienceCinema

Dwyer, Joseph [Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, United States

2017-12-09

How lightning is initiated in the relatively low electric fields inside thunderclouds and how it can then propagate for tens of kilometers through virgin air are two of the great unsolved problems in the atmospheric sciences.  Until very recently it was believed that lightning was entirely a conventional discharge, involving only low-energy (a few eV) electrons.  This picture changed completely a few years ago with the discovery of intense x-ray emission from both natural cloud-to-ground lightning and rocket-triggered lightning.  This energetic emission cannot be produced by a conventional discharge, and so the presence of x-rays strongly implies that runaway breakdown plays a role in lightning processes.  During runaway breakdown, electrons are accelerated through air to nearly the speed of light by strong electric fields.  These runaway electrons then emit bremsstrahlung x-rays and gamma-rays during collisions with air.  Indeed, the x-ray and gamma-ray emission produced by runaway breakdown near the tops of thunderstorms is bright enough to be seen from outer space, 600 km away.  As a result, the physics used for decades to describe thunderstorm electrification and lightning discharges is incomplete and needs to be revisited. 

Exploring a Physically Based Tool for Lightning Cessation: A Preliminary Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schultz, Elise V.; Petersen, Walter a.; Carey, Lawrence D.; Deierling, Wiebke

2010-01-01

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UA Huntsville) and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center are collaborating with the 45th Weather Squadron (45WS) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) to enable improved nowcasting of lightning cessation. The project centers on use of dual-polarimetric radar capabilities, and in particular, the new C-band dual-polarimetric weather radar acquired by the 45WS. Special emphasis is placed on the development of a physically based operational algorithm to predict lightning cessation. While previous studies have developed statistically based lightning cessation algorithms, we believe that dual-polarimetric radar variables offer the possibility to improve existing algorithms through the inclusion of physically meaningful trends reflecting interactions between in-cloud electric fields and microphysics. Specifically, decades of polarimetric radar research using propagation differential phase has demonstrated the presence of distinct phase and ice crystal alignment signatures in the presence of strong electric fields associated with lightning. One question yet to be addressed is: To what extent can these ice-crystal alignment signatures be used to nowcast the cessation of lightning activity in a given storm? Accordingly, data from the UA Huntsville Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR) along with the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array are used in this study to investigate the radar signatures present before and after lightning cessation. A summary of preliminary results will be presented.

Exploring a Physically Based Tool for Lightning Cessation: Preliminary Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schultz, Elsie V.; Petersen, Walter A.; Carey, Lawrence D.; Buechler, Dennis E.; Gatlin, Patrick N.

2010-01-01

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) and NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center are collaborating with the 45th Weather Squadron (45WS) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) to enable improved nowcasting of lightning cessation. The project centers on use of dual-polarimetric radar capabilities, and in particular, the new C-band dual-polarimetric weather radar acquired by the 45WS. Special emphasis is placed on the development of a physically based operational algorithm to predict lightning cessation. While previous studies have developed statistically based lightning cessation algorithms, we believe that dual-polarimetric radar variables offer the possibility to improve existing algorithms through the inclusion of physically meaningful trends reflecting interactions between in-cloud electric fields and microphysics. Specifically, decades of polarimetric radar research using propagation differential phase has demonstrated the presence of distinct phase and ice crystal alignment signatures in the presence of strong electric fields associated with lightning. One question yet to be addressed is: To what extent can these ice-crystal alignment signatures be used to nowcast the cessation of lightning activity in a given storm? Accordingly, data from the UAHuntsville Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR) along with the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array are used in this study to investigate the radar signatures present before and after lightning cessation. A summary of preliminary results will be presented.

Z-M in Lightning Forecasting

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

hydrometers create a charge separation. Inductive processes rely on a preexisting external electric field to induce charges on polarized particles, which...frozen hydrometers . A. FLORIDA CLIMATE Florida is often referred to as the lightning capital of the United States (Hodanish et al. 1997) or

Scaling of Dielectric Breakdown Thresholds in Earth's and CO2-rich atmospheres: Impact for Predictions of Extraterrestrial Transient Luminous Events and Lightning Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riousset, J. A.

2016-12-01

Earth's atmospheric electricity manifests itself in the form of glow, corona, streamer, and leader discharges observed as Saint Elmo's fire, sprites, lightning and jets discharges, and other Transient Luminous Events (TLEs). All of these are types of dielectric breakdown, but are governed by different physics. In particular, their initiation is associated with the crossing of specific electric field thresholds: relativistic runaway, streamer propagation, conventional breakdown, or thermal runaway thresholds, some better understood than others. For example, the initiation of a lightning discharge is known to occur when the local electric field exceeds a value similar to relativistic runaway field, but the exact threshold, as well as the physical mechanisms at work, remain rather unclear to date. Scaling laws for electric fields (and other quantities) have been established by Pasko et al. [GRL, 25(12), 2123-2126, 1998] and Pasko [NATO Sci. Series, Springer, 253-311, 2006]. In this work, we develop profiles for initiation criteria in air and in other atmospheric environments. We further calculate their associated scaling laws to determine the ability to trigger lightning flashes and TLEs in our solar system. This lets us predict the likelihood of electrical discharges on, e.g., Mars, Venus and Titan, and calculate the expected electric field conditions, under which discharges have been observed on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune [Leblanc et al., ISSI Spa. Sci. Series, Springer, 2008, Yair, Adv. Space Res., 50(3), 293-310, 2012]. Our results anticipate the arrival of ExoMars 2016's Schiaparelli module, which will provide the first records of electric field at the surface of the planet [Déprez et al., EGU GA, 16, 16613, 2014]. This research is also motived by the increasing probability of manned missions to Mars and the potential electrostatic hazards it may face [Yair, 2012], and by the role of electrical discharges in the creation of active radicals, some of which may be of biological importance [Miller, Science, 117, 528-529, 1953; Biochem. Biophys. Acta, 23, 480-489, 1957].

Characteristics of return stroke electric fields produced by lightning flashes at distances of 1 to 15 kilometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hopf, CH.

1991-01-01

Electric field derivative signals from single and multiple lightning strokes are presented. For about 25 pct. of all acquired waveforms, produced by return strokes, stepped leaders or intracloud discharges, type and distance of the signal source are known from the observations by an all sky video camera system. The analysis of the electric field derivative waveforms in the time domain shows a significant difference in the impulse width between return stroke signals and those of stepped leaders and intracloud discharges. In addition, the computed amplitude density spectrum of return stroke waveforms lies by a factor of 10 above that of stepped leaders and intracloud discharges in the frequency range from 50 to 500 kHz.

Evaluating lightning hazards to building environments using explicit numerical solutions of Maxwell's equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collier, Richard S.; McKenna, Paul M.; Perala, Rodney A.

1991-08-01

The objective here is to describe the lightning hazards to buildings and their internal environments using advanced formulations of Maxwell's Equations. The method described is the Three Dimensional Finite Difference Time Domain Solution. It can be used to solve for the lightning interaction with such structures in three dimensions with the inclusion of a considerable amount of detail. Special techniques were developed for including wire, plumbing, and rebar into the model. Some buildings have provisions for lightning protection in the form of air terminals connected to a ground counterpoise system. It is shown that fields and currents within these structures can be significantly high during a lightning strike. Time lapse video presentations were made showing the electric and magnetic field distributions on selected cross sections of the buildings during a simulated lightning strike.

Evaluating lightning hazards to building environments using explicit numerical solutions of Maxwell's equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collier, Richard S.; Mckenna, Paul M.; Perala, Rodney A.

1991-01-01

The objective here is to describe the lightning hazards to buildings and their internal environments using advanced formulations of Maxwell's Equations. The method described is the Three Dimensional Finite Difference Time Domain Solution. It can be used to solve for the lightning interaction with such structures in three dimensions with the inclusion of a considerable amount of detail. Special techniques were developed for including wire, plumbing, and rebar into the model. Some buildings have provisions for lightning protection in the form of air terminals connected to a ground counterpoise system. It is shown that fields and currents within these structures can be significantly high during a lightning strike. Time lapse video presentations were made showing the electric and magnetic field distributions on selected cross sections of the buildings during a simulated lightning strike.

A unified engineering model of the first stroke in downward negative lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nag, Amitabh; Rakov, Vladimir A.

2016-03-01

Each stroke in a negative cloud-to-ground lightning flash is composed of downward leader and upward return stroke processes, which are usually modeled individually. The first stroke leader is stepped and starts with preliminary breakdown (PB) which is often viewed as a separate process. We present the first unified engineering model for computing the electric field produced by a sequence of PB, stepped leader, and return stroke processes, serving to transport negative charge to ground. We assume that a negatively charged channel extends downward in a stepped fashion during both the PB and leader stages. Each step involves a current wave that propagates upward along the newly formed channel section. Once the leader attaches to ground, an upward propagating return stroke neutralizes the charge deposited along the channel. Model-predicted electric fields are in reasonably good agreement with simultaneous measurements at both near (hundreds of meters, electrostatic field component is dominant) and far (tens of kilometers, radiation field component is dominant) distances from the lightning channel. Relations between the features of computed electric field waveforms and model input parameters are examined. It appears that peak currents associated with PB pulses are similar to return stroke peak currents, and the observed variation of electric radiation field peaks produced by leader steps at different heights above ground is influenced by the ground corona space charge.

The Effect of Air Density on Atmospheric Electric Fields Required for Lightning Initiation from a Long Airborne Object

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bazelyan, E. M.; Aleksandrov, N. L.; Raizer, Yu. Pl.; Konchankov, A. M.

2006-01-01

The purpose of the work was to determine minimum atmospheric electric fields required for lightning initiation from an airborne vehicle at various altitudes up to 10 km. The problem was reduced to the determination of a condition for initiation of a viable positive leader from a conductive object in an ambient electric field. It was shown that, depending on air density and shape and dimensions of the object, critical atmospheric fields are governed by the condition for leader viability or that for corona onset. To establish quantitative criteria for reduced air densities, available observations of spark discharges in long laboratory gaps were analyzed, the effect of air density on leader velocity was discussed and evolution in time of the properties of plasma in the leader channel was numerically simulated. The results obtained were used to evaluate the effect of pressure on the quantitative relationships between the potential difference near the leader tip, leader current and its velocity; based on these relationships, criteria for steady development of a leader were determined for various air pressures. Atmospheric electric fields required for lightning initiation from rods and ellipsoidal objects of various dimensions were calculated at different air densities. It was shown that there is no simple way to extend critical ambient fields obtained for some given objects and pressures to other objects and pressures.

Electromagnetic sensors for general lightning application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baum, C. E.; Breen, E. L.; Onell, J. P.; Moore, C. B.; Sower, G. D.

1980-01-01

Electromagnetic sensors for general lightning applications in measuring environment are discussed as well as system response to the environment. This includes electric and magnetic fields, surface current and charge densities, and currents on conductors. Many EMP sensors are directly applicable to lightning measurements, but there are some special cases of lightning measurements involving direct strikes which require special design considerations for the sensors. The sensors and instrumentation used by NMIMT in collecting data on lightning at South Baldy peak in central New Mexico during the 1978 and 1979 lightning seasons are also discussed. The Langmuir Laboratory facilities and details of the underground shielded instrumentation room and recording equipment are presented.

Structure of conducting channel of lightning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alanakyan, Yu. R.

2013-08-15

The spatial distribution of the plasma density in a lightning channel is studied theoretically. It is shown that the electric-field double layer is formed at the channel boundary. In this case, the electron temperature changes abruptly and ions are accelerated by the electric field of the double layer. The ion momentum flux density is close to the surrounding gas pressure. Cleaning of the channel from heavy particles occurs in particle-exchange processes between the plasma channel and the surrounding air. Hydrogen ions are accumulated inside the expanding channel from the surrounding air, which is enriched by hydrogen-contained molecules. In this case,more » the plasma channel is unstable and splits to a chain of equidistant bunches of plasma. The hydrogen-enrich bunches burn diffusely after recombination exhibiting the bead lightning behavior.« less

FDTD Modeling of LEMP Propagation in the Earth-Ionosphere Waveguide With Emphasis on Realistic Representation of Lightning Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Thang H.; Baba, Yoshihiro; Somu, Vijaya B.; Rakov, Vladimir A.

2017-12-01

The finite difference time domain (FDTD) method in the 2-D cylindrical coordinate system was used to compute the nearly full-frequency-bandwidth vertical electric field and azimuthal magnetic field waveforms produced on the ground surface by lightning return strokes. The lightning source was represented by the modified transmission-line model with linear current decay with height, which was implemented in the FDTD computations as an appropriate vertical phased-current-source array. The conductivity of atmosphere was assumed to increase exponentially with height, with different conductivity profiles being used for daytime and nighttime conditions. The fields were computed at distances ranging from 50 to 500 km. Sky waves (reflections from the ionosphere) were identified in computed waveforms and used for estimation of apparent ionospheric reflection heights. It was found that our model reproduces reasonably well the daytime electric field waveforms measured at different distances and simulated (using a more sophisticated propagation model) by Qin et al. (2017). Sensitivity of model predictions to changes in the parameters of atmospheric conductivity profile, as well as influences of the lightning source characteristics (current waveshape parameters, return-stroke speed, and channel length) and ground conductivity were examined.

Preliminary Optical And Electric Field Pulse Statistics From Storm Overflights During The Altus Cumulus Electrification Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mach, D. A.; Blakeslee, R. J.; Bailey, J. C.; Farrell, W. M.; Goldberg, R. A.; Desch, M. D.; Houser, J. G.

2003-01-01

The Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) was conducted during the month of August, 2002 in an area near Key West, Florida. One of the goals of this uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) study was to collect high resolution optical pulse and electric field data from thunderstorms. During the month long campaign, we acquired 5294 lightning generated optical pulses with associated electric field changes. Most of these observations were made while close to the top of the storms. We found filtered mean and median 10-10% optical pulse widths of 875 and 830 microns respectively while the 50-50% mean and median optical pulse widths are 422 and 365 microns respectively. These values are similar to previous results as are the 10-90% mean and median rise times of 327 and 265 microns. The peak electrical to optical pulse delay mean and median were 209 and 145 microns which is longer than one would expect from theoretical results. The results of the pulse analysis will contribute to further validation of the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) and the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) satellites. Pre-launch estimates of the flash detection efficiency were based on a small sample of optical pulse measurements associated with less than 350 lightning discharges collected by NASA U-2 aircraft in the early 1980s. Preliminary analyses of the ACES measurements show that we have greatly increased the number of optical pulses available for validation of the LIS and other orbital lightning optical sensors. Since the Altus was often close to the cloud tops, many of the optical pulses are from low-energy pulses. From these low-energy pulses, we can determine the fraction of optical lightning pulses below the thresholds of LIS, OTD, and any future satellite-based optical sensors such as the geostationary Lightning Mapping Sensor.

Lightning initiation mechanism based on the development of relativistic runaway electron avalanches triggered by background cosmic radiation: Numerical simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Babich, L. P., E-mail: babich@elph.vniief.ru; Bochkov, E. I.; Kutsyk, I. M.

2011-05-15

The mechanism of lightning initiation due to electric field enhancement by the polarization of a conducting channel produced by relativistic runaway electron avalanches triggered by background cosmic radiation has been simulated numerically. It is shown that the fields at which the start of a lightning leader is possible even in the absence of precipitations are locally realized for realistic thundercloud configurations and charges. The computational results agree with the in-situ observations of penetrating radiation enhancement in thunderclouds.

Modeling Stepped Leaders Using a Time Dependent Multi-dipole Model and High-speed Video Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karunarathne, S.; Marshall, T.; Stolzenburg, M.; Warner, T. A.; Orville, R. E.

2012-12-01

In summer of 2011, we collected lightning data with 10 stations of electric field change meters (bandwidth of 0.16 Hz - 2.6 MHz) on and around NASA/Kennedy Space Center (KSC) covering nearly 70 km × 100 km area. We also had a high-speed video (HSV) camera recording 50,000 images per second collocated with one of the electric field change meters. In this presentation we describe our use of these data to model the electric field change caused by stepped leaders. Stepped leaders of a cloud to ground lightning flash typically create the initial path for the first return stroke (RS). Most of the time, stepped leaders have multiple complex branches, and one of these branches will create the ground connection for the RS to start. HSV data acquired with a short focal length lens at ranges of 5-25 km from the flash are useful for obtaining the 2-D location of these multiple branches developing at the same time. Using HSV data along with data from the KSC Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR2) system and the Cloud to Ground Lightning Surveillance System (CGLSS), the 3D path of a leader may be estimated. Once the path of a stepped leader is obtained, the time dependent multi-dipole model [ Lu, Winn,and Sonnenfeld, JGR 2011] can be used to match the electric field change at various sensor locations. Based on this model, we will present the time-dependent charge distribution along a leader channel and the total charge transfer during the stepped leader phase.

Effects of lightning on trees: A predictive model based on in situ electrical resistivity.

PubMed

Gora, Evan M; Bitzer, Phillip M; Burchfield, Jeffrey C; Schnitzer, Stefan A; Yanoviak, Stephen P

2017-10-01

The effects of lightning on trees range from catastrophic death to the absence of observable damage. Such differences may be predictable among tree species, and more generally among plant life history strategies and growth forms. We used field-collected electrical resistivity data in temperate and tropical forests to model how the distribution of power from a lightning discharge varies with tree size and identity, and with the presence of lianas. Estimated heating density (heat generated per volume of tree tissue) and maximum power (maximum rate of heating) from a standardized lightning discharge differed 300% among tree species. Tree size and morphology also were important; the heating density of a hypothetical 10 m tall Alseis blackiana was 49 times greater than for a 30 m tall conspecific, and 127 times greater than for a 30 m tall Dipteryx panamensis . Lianas may protect trees from lightning by conducting electric current; estimated heating and maximum power were reduced by 60% (±7.1%) for trees with one liana and by 87% (±4.0%) for trees with three lianas. This study provides the first quantitative mechanism describing how differences among trees can influence lightning-tree interactions, and how lianas can serve as natural lightning rods for trees.

Dependence of positive and negative sprite morphology on lightning characteristics and upper atmospheric ambient conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Jianqi; Celestin, Sebastien; Pasko, Victor P.

2013-05-01

Carrot sprites, exhibiting both upward and downward propagating streamers, and columniform sprites, characterized by predominantly vertical downward streamers, represent two distinct morphological classes of lightning-driven transient luminous events in the upper atmosphere. It is found that positive cloud-to-ground lightning discharges (+CGs) associated with large charge moment changes (QhQ) tend to produce carrot sprites with the presence of a mesospheric region where the electric field exceeds the value 0.8Ek and persists for >˜2 ms, whereas those associated with small QhQ are only able to produce columniform sprites. Columniform sprites may also appear in the periphery of a sprite halo produced by +CGs associated with large QhQ. For a sufficiently large QhQ, the time dynamics of the QhQ determines the specific shape of the carrot sprites. In the case when the sufficiently large QhQ is produced mainly by an impulsive return stroke, strong electric field is produced at high altitudes and manifests as a bright halo, and the corresponding conductivity enhancement lowers/enhances the probability of streamer initiation inside/below the sprite halo. A more impulsive return stroke leads to a more significant conductivity enhancement (i.e., a brighter halo). This conductivity enhancement also leads to fast decay and termination of the upper diffuse region of carrot sprites because it effectively screens out the electric field at high altitudes. On the contrary, if the sufficiently large QhQ is produced by a weak return stroke (i.e., a dim halo) accompanied by intense continuing current, the lightning-induced electric field at high altitudes persists at a level that is comparable to Ek, and therefore an extensive upper diffuse region can develop. Furthermore, we demonstrate that `negative sprites' (produced by -CGs) should be necessarily carrot sprites and most likely accompanied by a detectable halo, since the initiation of upward positive streamers is always easier than that of downward negative streamers, and -CGs are usually associated with impulsive return stroke with no continuing current. We also conjecture that in some cases, fast decaying single-headed upward positive streamers produced by -CGs may appear as bright spots/patches. We show that the threshold charge moment changes of positive and negative sprites are, respectively, ~320 and ~500 C km under typical nighttime conditions assumed in this study. These different initiation thresholds, along with the different applied electric field required for stable propagation of positive and negative streamers and the fact that +CGs much more frequently produce large charge moment changes, represent three major factors in the polarity asymmetry of +CGs and -CGs in producing sprite streamers. We further demonstrate that lower mesospheric ambient conductivity leads to smaller threshold charge moment change required for the production of carrot sprites. We suggest that geographical and temporal conductivity variations in the lower ionosphere documented in earlier studies, along with the seasonal and inter-annual variations of thunderstorm activity that lead to different lightning characteristics in the troposphere, account for the different morphological features of sprites observed in different observation campaigns.

Electron Acceleration by Stochastic Electric Fields in Thunderstorms: Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alnussirat, S.; Miller, J. A.; Christian, H. J., Jr.; Fishman, G. J.

2016-12-01

Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are energetic pulses of photons, which are intense and short, originating in the atmosphere during thunderstorm activity. Despite the number of observations, the production mechanism(s) of TGFs and other energetic particles is not well understood. However, two mechanisms have been suggested as a source of TGFs: (1) the relativistic runaway electron avalanche mechanism (RREA), and (2) the lightning leader mechanism. The RREA can account for the TGF observations, but requires restrictive or unrealistic assumptions. The lightning leader channel is also expected to produce runaway electrons, but through inhomogeneous, small scale, strong electric fields. In this work we use the Boltzmann equation to model the electron acceleration by the lightning leader mechanism, and we derive the gamma-ray spectrum from the electron distribution function. The electric fields at the tip of the leaders are assumed to be stochastic in space and time. Since the physics involved in the lightening leader is not known, we test different cases of the stochastic acceleration agent. From this modeling we hope to investigate the possibility and efficiency of stochastic acceleration in thunderstorm.

Nighttime observations of thunderstorm electrical activity from a high altitude airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brook, M.; Rhodes, C.; Vaughan, O. H., Jr.; Orville, R. E.; Vonnegut, B.

1984-01-01

Photographs from a NASA U-2 airplane flying over nocturnal thunderstorms show frequent lightning activity in the upper part of the cloud. In some cases, unobscured segments of lightning channels 1 km or longer are visible in clear air around and above the cloud. Multiple images of lightning channels indicate multiple discharges in the same channel. Photographs taken through a diffraction grating show that the lightning has a spectrum similar to that observed in the lower troposphere. Lightning spectra obtained with a slitless line-scan spectrometer show strong singly ionized nitrogen emissions at 463.0 and 500.5 nm. Field changes measured with an electric field-change meter correlate with pulses measured with a photocell optical system. Optical signals corresponding to dart leader, return stroke, and continuing current events are readily distinguished in the scattered light emerging from the cloud surface. The variation of light intensity with time in lightning events is consistent with predicted modification of optical lightning signals by clouds. It appears that satellite based optical sensor measurements cannot provide reliable information on current rise times in return strokes. On the other hand, discrimination between cloud-to-ground and intracloud flashes and the counting of ground strokes is possible using the optical pulse pairs which have been identified with leader, return-stroke events in the cloud-to-ground flashes studied.

Time-averaged current analysis of a thunderstorm using ground-based measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Driscoll, Kevin T.; Blakeslee, Richard J.; Koshak, William J.

1994-05-01

The amount of upward current provided to the ionosphere by a thunderstorm that appeared over the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on July 11, 1978, is reexamined using an analytic equation that describes a bipolar thunderstorm's current contribution to the global circuit in terms of its generator current, lightning currents, the altitudes of its charge centers, and the conductivity profile of the atmosphere. Ground-based measurements, which were obtained from a network of electric field mills positioned at various distances from the thunderstorm, were used to characterize the electrical activity inside the thundercloud. The location of the lightning discharges, the type of lightning, and the amount of charge neutralized during this thunderstorm were computed through a least squares inversion of the measured changes in the electric fields following each lightning discharge. These measurements provided the information necessary to implement the analytic equation, and consequently, a time-averaged estimate of this thunderstorm's current contribution to the global circuit was calculated. From these results the amount of conduction current supplied to the ionosphere by this small thunderstorm was computed to be less than 25% of the time-averaged generator current that flowed between the two vertically displaced charge centers.

Physical mechanism of initial breakdown pulses and narrow bipolar events in lightning discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, Caitano L.; Pasko, Victor P.

2015-05-01

To date the true nature of initial breakdown pulses (IBPs) and narrow bipolar events (NBEs) in lightning discharges remains a mystery. Recent experimental evidence has correlated IBPs to the initial development of lightning leaders inside the thundercloud. NBE wideband waveforms resemble classic IBPs in both amplitude and duration. Most NBEs are quite peculiar in the sense that very frequently they occur in isolation from other lightning processes. The remaining fraction, 16% of positive polarity NBEs, according to Wu et al. (2014), happens as the first event in an otherwise regular intracloud lightning discharge. These authors point out that the initiator type of NBEs has no difference with other NBEs that did not start lightning, except for the fact that they occur deeper inside the thunderstorm (i.e., at lower altitudes). In this paper, we propose a new physical mechanism to explain the source of both IBPs and NBEs. We propose that IBPs and NBEs are the electromagnetic transients associated with the sudden (i.e., stepwise) elongation of the initial negative leader extremity in the thunderstorm electric field. To demonstrate our hypothesis a novel computational/numerical model of the bidirectional lightning leader tree is developed, consisting of a generalization of electrostatic and transmission line approximations found in the literature. Finally, we show how the IBP and NBE waveform characteristics directly reflect the properties of the bidirectional lightning leader (such as step length, for example) and amplitude of the thunderstorm electric field.

Studies in geophysics: The Earth's electrical environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The Earth is electrified. Between the surface and the outer reaches of the atmosphere, there is a global circuit that is maintained by worldwide thunderstorm activity and by upper atmospheric dynamo processes. The highest voltages approach a billion volts and are generated within thunderclouds, where lightning is a visual display of the cloud's electrical nature. The largest currents in the circuit, approaching a million amperes, are associated with the aurora. Because there have been significant advances in understanding many of the component parts of the global electric circuit (lightning, cloud electrification, electrical processes in specific atmospheric regions, and telluric currents), a principal research challenge is to understand how these components interact to shape the global circuit. Increased basic understanding in this field has many potential practical applications, including lightning protection, the design of advanced aircraft and spacecraft, and improvements in weather prediction.

Studies in geophysics: The Earth's electrical environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The Earth is electrified. Between the surface and the outer reaches of the atmosphere, there is a global circuit that is maintained by worldwide thunderstorm activity and by upper atmospheric dynamo processes. The highest voltages approach a billion volts and are generated within thunderclouds, where lightning is a visual display of the cloud's electrical nature. The largest currents in the circuit, approaching a million amperes, are associated with the aurora. Because there have been significant advances in understanding many of the component parts of the global electric circuit (lightning, cloud electrification, electrical processes in specific atmospheric regions, and telluric currents), a principal research challenge is to understand how these components interact to shape the global circuit. Increased basic understanding in this field has many potential practical applications, including lightning protection, the design of advanced aircraft and spacecraft, and improvements in weather prediction.

Tortuosity of lightning return stroke channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, D. M.; Gilson, B.

1984-01-01

Data obtained from photographs of lightning are presented on the tortuosity of return stroke channels. The data were obtained by making piecewise linear fits to the channels, and recording the cartesian coordinates of the ends of each linear segment. The mean change between ends of the segments was nearly zero in the horizontal direction and was about eight meters in the vertical direction. Histograms of these changes are presented. These data were used to create model lightning channels and to predict the electric fields radiated during return strokes. This was done using a computer generated random walk in which linear segments were placed end-to-end to form a piecewise linear representation of the channel. The computer selected random numbers for the ends of the segments assuming a normal distribution with the measured statistics. Once the channels were simulated, the electric fields radiated during a return stroke were predicted using a transmission line model on each segment. It was found that realistic channels are obtained with this procedure, but only if the model includes two scales of tortuosity: fine scale irregularities corresponding to the local channel tortuosity which are superimposed on large scale horizontal drifts. The two scales of tortuosity are also necessary to obtain agreement between the electric fields computed mathematically from the simulated channels and the electric fields radiated from real return strokes. Without large scale drifts, the computed electric fields do not have the undulations characteristics of the data.

Unusual lightning electric field waveforms observed in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Uppsala, Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adhikari, Pitri Bhakta; Sharma, Shriram; Baral, Kedarnath; Rakov, Vladimir A.

2017-11-01

Unusual lightning events have been observed in Uppsala, Sweden, and Kathmandu, Nepal, using essentially the same electric field measuring system developed at Uppsala University. They occurred in the storms that also generated ;normal; lightning events. The unusual events recorded in Uppsala occurred on one thunderstorm day. Similar events were observed in Kathmandu on multiple thunderstorm days. The unusual events were analyzed in this study assuming them to be positive ground flashes (+CGs), although we cannot rule out the possibility that some or most of them were actually cloud discharges (ICs). The unusual events were each characterized by a relatively slow, negative (atmospheric electricity sign convention) electric field waveform preceded by a pronounced opposite-polarity pulse whose duration was some tens of microseconds. To the best of our knowledge, such unusual events have not been reported in the literature. The average amplitudes of the opposite-polarity pulses with respect to those of the following main waveform were found to be about 33% in Uppsala (N = 31) and about 38% in Kathmandu (N = 327). The average durations of the main waveform and the preceding opposite-polarity pulse in Uppsala were 8.24 ms and 57.1 μs, respectively, and their counterparts in Kathmandu were 421 μs and 39.7 μs. Electric field waveforms characteristic of negative ground flashes (-CGs) were also observed, and none of them exhibited an opposite-polarity pulse prior to the main waveform. Possible origins of the unusual field waveforms are discussed.

A wide bandwidth electrostatic field sensor for lightning research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaepfel, K. P.

1986-01-01

Data obtained from UHF Radar observation of direct-lightning strikes to the NASA F-106B airplane have indicated that most of the 690 strikes acquired during direct-strike lightning tests were triggered by the aircraft. As an aid in understanding the triggered lightning process, a wide bandwidth electric field measuring system was designed for the F-106B by implementing a clamped-detection signal processing concept originated at the Air Force Cambridge Research Lab in 1953. The detection scheme combines the signals from complementary stator pairs clamped to zero volts at the exact moment when each stator pair is maximally shielded by the rotor, a process that restores the dc level lost by the charge amplifier. The new system was implemented with four shutter-type field mills located at strategic points on the airplane. The bandwidth of the new system was determined in the laboratory to be from dc to over 100 Hz, whereas past designs had upper limits of 10 Hz to 100 Hz. To obtain the undisturbed electric field vector and total aircraft charge, the airborne field mill system is calibrated by using techniques involving results from ground and flight calibrations of the F-106B, laboratory tests of a metallized model, and a finite-difference time-domain electromagnetic computer code.

A wide bandwidth electrostatic field sensor for lightning research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaepfel, Klaus P.

1989-01-01

Data obtained from UHF radar observation of direct-lightning strikes to the NASA F-106B aircraft have indicated that most of the 690 strikes acquired during direct-strike lightning tests were triggered by the aircraft. As an aid in understanding the triggered lightning process, a wide bandwidth electric field measuring system was designed for the F-106B by implementing a clamped-detection signal processing concept originated at the Air Force Cambridge Research Lab in 1953. The detection scheme combines the signals from complementary stator pairs clamped to zero bolts at the exact moment when each stator pair is maximally shielded by the rotor, a process that restores the dc level lost by the charge amplifier. The system was implemented with four shutter-type field mills located at strategic points on the aircraft. The bandwidth of the system was determined in the laboratory to be from dc to over 100 Hz, whereas past designs had upper limits of 10 to 100 Hz. To obtain the undisturbed electric field vector and total aircraft charge, the airborne field mill system is calibrated by using techniques involving results from ground and flight calibrations of the F-106B, laboratory tests of a metallized model, and a finite difference time-domain electromagnetic computer code.

Electricity in the Atmosphere.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sampath, S.; Kumar, V. Sasi

1991-01-01

The theory of the atmospheric electric circuit and a discussion of the fair-weather electrical are presented. The ion concentration, mobility, conductivity, and electric field altitudinal profiles are explained. An outline of the electrical processes inside thunderstorms along with a description of the lightning strike are included. (Author)

Mathematical Constraints on the Use of Transmission Line Models for Simulating Initial Breakdown Pulses in Lightning Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, C. L.; Merrill, R. A.; Pasko, V. P.

2015-12-01

A significant portion of the in-cloud lightning development is observed as a series of initial breakdown pulses (IBPs) that are characterized by an abrupt change in the electric field at a remote sensor. Recent experimental and theoretical studies have attributed this process to the stepwise elongation of an initial lightning leader inside the thunderstorm [da Silva and Pasko, JGR, 120, 4989-5009, 2015, and references therein]. Attempts to visually observe these events are hampered due to the fact that clouds are opaque to optical radiation. Due to this reason, throughout the last decade, a number of researchers have used the so-called transmission line models (also commonly referred to as engineering models), widely employed for return stroke simulations, to simulate the waveshapes of IBPs, and also of narrow bipolar events. The transmission line (TL) model approach is to prescribe the source current dynamics in a certain manner to match the measured E-field change waveform, with the purpose of retrieving key information about the source, such as its height, peak current, size, speed of charge motion, etc. Although the TL matching method is not necessarily physics-driven, the estimated source characteristics can give insights on the dominant length- and time-scales, as well as, on the energetics of the source. This contributes to better understanding of the environment where the onset and early stages of lightning development takes place.In the present work, we use numerical modeling to constrain the number of source parameters that can be confidently inferred from the observed far-field IBP waveforms. We compare different modified TL models (i.e., with different attenuation behaviors) to show that they tend to produce similar waveforms in conditions where the channel is short. We also demonstrate that it is impossible to simultaneously retrieve the speed of source current propagation and channel length from an observed IBP waveform, in contrast to what has been previously done in the literature. Finally, we demonstrate that the simulated field-to-current conversion factor in IBP sources can vary by more than one order of magnitude, making peak current estimates for intracloud lightning processes a challenging task.

The electric field change caused by a ground flash with multiple channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nakano, Minoru; Takagi, Nobuyuki; Arima, Izumi; Kawasaki, Zen-Ichiro; Takeuti, Tosio

1991-01-01

The electric field and the magnetic flux changes caused by a ground flash with multiple channels are measured near the electric power transmission lines during winter thunderstorms. Triggered lightning strokes and the following associated strokes to the transmission line towers produce characteristic waveforms of the field changes. A few examples of the waveforms and a brief discussion are given.

The start of lightning: Evidence of bidirectional lightning initiation.

PubMed

Montanyà, Joan; van der Velde, Oscar; Williams, Earle R

2015-10-16

Lightning flashes are known to initiate in regions of strong electric fields inside thunderstorms, between layers of positively and negatively charged precipitation particles. For that reason, lightning inception is typically hidden from sight of camera systems used in research. Other technology such as lightning mapping systems based on radio waves can typically detect only some aspects of the lightning initiation process and subsequent development of positive and negative leaders. We report here a serendipitous recording of bidirectional lightning initiation in virgin air under the cloud base at ~11,000 images per second, and the differences in characteristics of opposite polarity leader sections during the earliest stages of the discharge. This case reveals natural lightning initiation, propagation and a return stroke as in negative cloud-to-ground flashes, upon connection to another lightning channel - without any masking by cloud.

Thunderstorm observations by air-shower radio antenna arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apel, W. D.; Arteaga, J. C.; Bähren, L.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Biermann, P. L.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brancus, I. M.; Buchholz, P.; Buitink, S.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; di Pierro, F.; Doll, P.; Ender, M.; Engel, R.; Falcke, H.; Finger, M.; Fuhrmann, D.; Gemmeke, H.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Hörandel, J. R.; Horneffer, A.; Huber, D.; Huege, T.; Isar, P. G.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Krömer, O.; Kuijpers, J.; Link, K.; Łuczak, P.; Ludwig, M.; Mathes, H. J.; Melissas, M.; Morello, C.; Nehls, S.; Oehlschläger, J.; Palmieri, N.; Pierog, T.; Rautenberg, J.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Rühle, C.; Saftoiu, A.; Schieler, H.; Schmidt, A.; Schröder, F. G.; Sima, O.; Toma, G.; Trinchero, G. C.; Weindl, A.; Wochele, J.; Wommer, M.; Zabierowski, J.; Zensus, J. A.

2011-10-01

Relativistic, charged particles present in extensive air showers (EAS) lead to a coherent emission of radio pulses which are measured to identify the shower initiating high-energy cosmic rays. Especially during thunderstorms, there are additional strong electric fields in the atmosphere, which can lead to further multiplication and acceleration of the charged particles and thus have influence on the form and strength of the radio emission. For a reliable energy reconstruction of the primary cosmic ray by means of the measured radio signal it is very important to understand how electric fields affect the radio emission. In addition, lightning strikes are a prominent source of broadband radio emissions that are visible over very long distances. This, on the one hand, causes difficulties in the detection of the much lower signal of the air shower. On the other hand the recorded signals can be used to study features of the lightning development. The detection of cosmic rays via the radio emission and the influence of strong electric fields on this detection technique is investigated with the LOPES experiment in Karlsruhe, Germany. The important question if a lightning is initiated by the high electron density given at the maximum of a high-energy cosmic-ray air shower is also investigated, but could not be answered by LOPES. But, these investigations exhibit the capabilities of EAS radio antenna arrays for lightning studies. We report about the studies of LOPES measured radio signals of air showers taken during thunderstorms and give a short outlook to new measurements dedicated to search for correlations of lightning and cosmic rays.

Lightning electromagnetic radiation field spectra in the interval from 0.2 to 20 MHz

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willett, J. C.; Bailey, J. C.; Leteinturier, C.; Krider, E. P.

1990-01-01

New Fourier transforms of wideband time-domain electric fields (E) produced by lightning (recorded at the Kennedy Space Center during the summers of 1985 and 1987) were recorded in such a way that several different events in each lightning flash could be captured. Average HF spectral amplitudes for first return strokes, stepped-leader steps, and 'characteristic pulses' are given for significantly more events, at closer ranges, and with better spectral resolution than in previous literature reports. The method of recording gives less bias toward the first large event in the flash and thus yields a large sample of a wide variety of lightning processes. As a result, reliable composite spectral amplitudes are obtained for a number of different processes in cloud-to-ground lightning over the frequency interval from 0.2 to 20 MHz.

Developing Lightning Prediction Tools for the CCAFS Dual-Polarimetric Radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petersen, W. A.; Carey, L. D.; Deierling, W.; Johnson, E.; Bateman, M.

2009-01-01

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Alabama Huntsville are collaborating with the 45th Weather Squadron (45WS) to develop improved lightning prediction capabilities for the new C-band dual-polarimetric weather radar being acquired for use by 45WS and launch weather forecasters at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). In particular, these algorithms will focus on lightning onset, cessation and combined lightning-radar applications for convective winds assessment. Research using radar reflectivity (Z) data for prediction of lightning onset has been extensively discussed in the literature and subsequently applied by launch weather forecasters as it pertains to lightning nowcasting. Currently the forecasters apply a relatively straight forward but effective temperature-Z threshold algorithm for assessing the likelihood of lightning onset in a given storm. In addition, a layered VIL above the freezing level product is used as automated guidance for the onset of lightning. Only limited research and field work has been conducted on lightning cessation using Z and vertically-integrated Z for determining cessation. Though not used operationally vertically-integrated Z (basis for VIL) has recently shown promise as a tool for use in nowcasting lightning cessation. The work discussed herein leverages and expands upon these and similar reflectivity-threshold approaches via the application/addition of over two decades of polarimetric radar research focused on distinct multi-parameter radar signatures of ice/mixed-phase initiation and ice-crystal orientation in highly electrified convective clouds. Specifically, our approach is based on numerous previous studies that have observed repeatable patterns in the behavior of the vertical hydrometeor column as it relates to the temporal evolution of differential reflectivity and depolarization (manifested in either LDR or p(sub hv)), development of in-situ mixed and ice phase microphysics, electric fields, and ensuing lightning in the sub-tropical/tropical convection typical of the southeastern U.S., Maritime Continent, and southwestern Amazon. The polarimetric signatures detected in this setting provide a basis for automated 3-D detection of hydrometeor types in fuzzy logic hydrometeor identification algorithms (HID). Our working hypothesis is that improvement in lightning onset warning lead time and specificity for a given storm, relative to application of a Z-threshold algorithm, should arise as a consequence of the ability of dual-polarimetric radar to unambiguously detect and identify (through HID algorithms) the updraft elevation of rain-water cores above the freezing level and subsequent onset of drop freezing, riming, and robust mixed phase processes leading to significant charge separation and lightning. This type of algorithm, though dependent on the quality of the polarimetric data should be less susceptible to variable Z-calibration that can impact a given Z-threshold approach. To facilitate development of the algorithm while the 45WS dual-pol radar is in its current test stages and to evaluate the impact of polarimetric data quality (e.g., modified scan parameters and sampling) on the ensuing algorithms, we are using the ARMOR C-band dual-pol radar in Huntsville combined with N. Alabama LMA data and ARMOR HID algorithms [NCAR algorithm modified for application at C-band] in a testbed fashion. For lightning cessation we are revisiting the application of differential propagation phase variables for the monitoring of ice crystal alignment driven by in-cloud electric fields combined with metrics of ice water path (i.e., vertically integrated reflectivity). Importantly it should be noted that this approach is still very much a research topic and as such, we will explore operational applications that involve radar frequencies other than C-Band by using the UAH MAX X-band dual-pol radar in slow staring modes.

Development and application of linear and nonlinear methods for interpretation of lightning strikes to in-flight aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudolph, Terence; Perala, Rodney A.; Easterbrook, Calvin C.; Parker, Steven L.

1986-01-01

Since 1980, NASA has been collecting direct strike lightning data by flying an instrumented F-106B aircraft into thunderstorms. The continuing effort to interpret the measured data is reported here. Both linear and nonlinear finite difference modeling techniques are applied to the problem of lightning triggered by an aircraft in a thunderstorm. Five different aircraft are analyzed to determine the effect of aircraft size and shape on lightning triggering. The effect of lightning channel impedance on aircraft response is investigated. The particle environment in thunderstorms and electric field enhancements by typical ice particles is also investigated.

Analysis of electrical transients created by lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nanevicz, J. E.; Vance, E. F.

1980-01-01

A series of flight tests was conducted using a specially-instrumented NASA Learjet to study the electrical transients created on an aircraft by nearby lightning. The instrumentation included provisions for the time-domain and frequency-domain recording of the electrical signals induced in sensors located both on the exterior and on the interior of the aircraft. The design and calibration of the sensors and associated measuring systems is described together with the results of the flight test measurements. The results indicate that the concept of providing instrumentation to follow the lightning signal from propagation field, to aircraft skin current, to current on interior wiring is basically sound. The results of the measurement indicate that the high frequency signals associated with lightning stroke precursor activity are important in generating electromagnetic noise on the interior of the aircraft. Indeed, the signals produced by the precursors are often of higher amplitude and of longer duration that the pulse produced by the main return stroke.

The Case for Using Blunt-Tipped Lightning Rods as Strike Receptors.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, C. B.; Aulich, G. D.; Rison, William

2003-07-01

Conventional lightning rods used in the United States have sharp tips, a practice derived from Benjamin Franklin's discovery of a means to obtain protection from lightning. However, the virtue of sharp tips for strike reception has never been established. An examination of the relevant physics shows that very strong electric fields are required above the tips of rods in order that they function as strike receptors but that the gradients of the field strength over sharp-tipped rods are so great that, at distances of a few millimeters, the local fields are often too weak for the development of upward-going streamers. In field tests, rods with rounded tips have been found to be better strike receptors than were nearby sharp-tipped rods.

Evidence for lightning on Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strangeway, R. J.

1992-01-01

Lightning is an interesting phenomenon both for atmospheric and ionospheric science. At the Earth lightning is generated in regions where there is strong convection. Lightning also requires the generation of large charge-separation electric fields. The energy dissipated in a lightning discharge can, for example, result in chemical reactions that would not normally occur. From an ionospheric point of view, lightning generates a broad spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. This radiation can propagate through the ionosphere as whistler mode waves, and at the Earth the waves propagate to high altitudes in the plasmasphere where they can cause energetic particle precipitation. The atmosphere and ionosphere of Venus are quite different from those on the Earth, and the presence of lightning at Venus has important consequences for our knowledge of why lightning occurs and how the energy is dissipated in the atmosphere and ionosphere. As discussed here, it now appears that lightning occurs in the dusk local time sector at Venus.

Lightning generation in Titan due to the electrical self-polarization properties of Methane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quintero, A.; Falcón, N.

2009-05-01

We describe an electrical charge process in Titan's thunderclouds, due to the self-polarization properties or pyroelectricity of methane, which increases the internal electric field in thunderclouds and facilitates the charge generation and separation processes. Microphysics that generates lightning flashes is associated with the physical and chemical properties of the local atmosphere, so methane could be the principal agent of the electrical activity because of its great concentration in Titan's atmosphere. Besides, Titan's electrical activity should not be very influenced by Saturn's magnetosphere because lightning occurs at very low altitude above Titan's surface, compared with the greater distance of Saturn's magnetosphere and Titan's troposphere. Using an electrostatic treatment, we calculate the internal electric field of Titan's thunderclouds due to methane's pyroelectrical properties, 7.05×10^11 Vm^-1; and using the telluric capacitor approximation for thunderclouds, we calculate the total charge obtained for a typical Titan thundercloud, 2.67×10^9 C. However, it is not right to use an electrostatic treatment because charge times are very fast due to the large methane concentration in Titan's clouds and the life time of thunderclouds is very low (around 2 hours). We consider a time dependent mechanism, employing common Earth atmospheric approaches, because of the similitude in chemical composition of both atmospheres (mainly nitrogen), so the typical charge of a thundercloud in Titan should reach between 20 C to 40 C, like on Earth. We obtain that lightning occurs with a frequency between 2 and 6 KHz. In Titan's atmosphere, methane concentration is higher than on Earth, and atmospheric electrical activity is stronger, so this model could be consistent with the observed phenomenology.

Three-dimensional modeling of lightning-induced electromagnetic pulses on Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Invernón, F. J.; Luque, A.; Gordillo-Vázquez, F. J.

2017-07-01

While lightning activity in Venus is still controversial, its existence in Jupiter and Saturn was first detected by the Voyager missions and later on confirmed by Cassini and New Horizons optical recordings in the case of Jupiter, and recently by Cassini on Saturn in 2009. Based on a recently developed 3-D model, we investigate the influence of lightning-emitted electromagnetic pulses on the upper atmosphere of Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter. We explore how different lightning properties such as total energy released and orientation (vertical, horizontal, and oblique) can produce mesospheric transient optical emissions of different shapes, sizes, and intensities. Moreover, we show that the relatively strong background magnetic field of Saturn can enhance the lightning-induced quasi-electrostatic and inductive electric field components above 1000 km of altitude producing stronger transient optical emissions that could be detected from orbital probes.

First Ground-Based Observation of Sprites Over Southern Africa and Estimation of Their Physical and Optical Characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nnadih, O.; Martinez, P.; Kosch, M.; Lotz, S.; Fullekrug, M.

2016-12-01

We present the first ground-based observations of sprites over convective thunderstorms in southern Africa. The observations, acquired during the austral summer of 2015/16. show sprites with dendritic, carrot, angel and jellyfish-like shapes. The sprite locations are compared with lightning locations and peak amplitudes determined from the lightning detection network operated by the South African Weather Service, and also with the lightning locations reported by the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WLLN) and Low Frequency radio waveforms of the electric field strength recorded in the conjugate hemisphere in South-West England. The charge moment of the lightning discharges causing sprites is inferred from Extremely Low Frequency magnetic field measurements recorded at remote distances. These measurements reveal that a number of the sprites that we observed were triggered below and above the charge moment threshold for sprite production.

Modulation of UK lightning and the atmospheric electric circuit by heliospheric magnetic field polarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owens, Mathew; Scott, Chris; Lockwood, Mike; Barnard, Luke; Harrison, Giles; Nicoll, Keri; Watt, Clare; Bennett, Alec

2015-04-01

Observational studies have reported solar magnetic modulation of terrestrial lightning on a range of time scales, from days to decades. The proposed mechanism is two-step: lightning rates vary with galactic cosmic ray (GCR) flux incident on Earth, either via changes in atmospheric conductivity and/or direct triggering of lightning. GCR flux is, in turn, primarily controlled by the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF) intensity. Consequently, global changes in lightning rates are expected. This study instead considers HMF polarity, which doesn't greatly affect total GCR flux. Opposing HMF polarities are, however, associated with a 40 to 60% difference in observed UK lightning and thunder rates. As HMF polarity skews the terrestrial magnetosphere from its nominal position, this perturbs local ionospheric potential at high latitudes and local exposure to energetic charged particles from the magnetosphere. We speculate as to the mechanism(s) by which this may, in turn, redistribute the global location and/or intensity of thunderstorm activity.

Corona discharges from a windmill and its lightning protection tower in winter thunderstorms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Ting; Wang, Daohong; Rison, William; Thomas, Ronald J.; Edens, Harald E.; Takagi, Nobuyuki; Krehbiel, Paul R.

2017-05-01

This paper presents lightning mapping array (LMA) observations of corona discharges from a windmill and its lightning protection tower in winter thunderstorms in Japan. Corona discharges from the windmill, called windmill coronas, and those from the tower, called tower coronas, are distinctly different. Windmill coronas occur with periodic bursts, generally radiate larger power, and possibly develop to higher altitudes than tower coronas do. A strong negative electric field is necessary for the frequent production of tower coronas but is not apparently related with windmill coronas. These differences are due to the periodic rotation of the windmill and the moving blades which can escape space charges produced by corona discharges and sustain a large local electric field. The production period of windmill coronas is related with the rotation period of the windmill. Surprisingly, for one rotation of the windmill, only two out of the three blades produce detectable discharges and source powers of discharges from these two blades are different. The reason for this phenomenon is still unclear. For tower coronas, the source rate can get very high only when there is a strong negative electric field, and the source power can get very high only when the source rate is very low. The relationship between corona discharges and lightning flashes is investigated. There is no direct evidence that corona discharges can increase the chance of upward leader initiation, but nearby lightning flashes can increase the source rate of corona discharges right after the flashes. The peak of the source height distribution of corona discharges is about 100 m higher than the top of the windmill and the top of the tower. Possible reasons for this result are discussed.

Relation Between Lightning Activity of Summer and Winter Thunderclouds and Surface Electric Field Variation, Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michimoto, K.; Shimura, T.; Suzuki, T.

1999-01-01

In winter, active convective clouds frequently form along the coastline of the Hokuriku district, in association with strong advection of Siberian air masses over the Sea of Japan. On the other hand, in summer, many thunderclouds form in the Kanto region in the afternoon every day. Summer and winter thunderclouds were investigated by field works, operation of the C- and X-band weather radars and a car-borne fieldmill. The investigation found a very close relation between the temporal variation of 3-dimensional radar echo and surface electric field magnitude detected by a car-borne fieldmill in the case of summer thunderclouds and winter convective clouds or thunderclouds. The study probed the close relation among radar echoes, quantity of thunderclouds and surface electric field magnitude in the summer and winter seasons. We think that summer thundercloud activity can basically be equated with winter thundercloud lightning activity, except that the magnitude of surface electric field under summer thunderclouds in the case of the Kanto region cannot be equated with that under winter thunderclouds in the case of the Hokuriku district in winter.

Cosmic rays, solar activity, magnetic coupling, and lightning incidence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ely, J. T. A.

1984-01-01

A theoretical model is presented and described that unifies the complex influence of several factors on spatial and temporal variation of lightning incidence. These factors include the cosmic radiation, solar activity, and coupling between geomagnetic and interplanetary (solar wind) magnetic fields. Atmospheric electrical conductivity in the 10 km region was shown to be the crucial parameter altered by these factors. The theory reconciles several large scale studies of lightning incidence previously misinterpreted or considered contradictory. The model predicts additional strong effects on variations in lightning incidence, but only small effects on the morphology and rate of thunderstorm development.

Evolution of lightning in an isolated hailstorm of moderate size in the tropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamra, A. K.; Pawar, S. D.

2007-10-01

Evolution of lightning activity in a tropical hailstorm of moderate size that developed in the premonsoon season at Pune (18°32'N, 73°51'E, 559 m above sea level) is studied from the measurements of surface electric field, the Maxwell current and thunder. Total flash rate is counted from the electric field record, and the cloud-to-ground (CG) flash rate is estimated from the visual observations. Precise timings of their occurrence were confirmed from the observations of overshoot in the Maxwell current records. The storm exhibited an almost constant rate of one CG flash every 1 to 2 min over the whole life time of the storm. The ratio of intracloud (IC) to CG flashes (IC/CG) increased with the increase in total flash rate. In the convective stage of the storm, field changes from consecutive flashes were generally found to alternate in polarity. Moreover, in this stage, field changes occur in pairs, the first field change of each pair being of negative polarity and the second one of positive polarity. The two field changes in a pair occur with an average time difference of 14.3 ± 8.4 s while two consecutive pairs appear after 29.3 ± 9.1 s. In between the convective and mature stages, our observations suggest the occurrence of the phenomenon of rain gush and the field excursion associated with falling precipitation. Development of the mature stage was marked with rapid transitions in the surface electric field and the Maxwell current polarities from negative to positive. Further, total flash rate and IC/CG ratio sharply increase, and the lightning-induced electric field changes become almost exclusively of negative polarity. Observations suggest possibly a lifting up of the charging region in mature stage of the storm. The dissipating stage of the storm witnessed hail and rain showers, sharp transition of electric field and the Maxwell current from positive to negative polarity and occurrence of a few positive CG discharges. Our observations are consistent with the general belief that that some lightning flashes, by neutralizing and depositing charge in the region of opposite polarity, change the charge distribution so as to trigger another discharge in the storm.

Models for electromagnetic coupling of lightning onto multiconductor cables in underground cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higgins, Matthew Benjamin

This dissertation documents the measurements, analytical modeling, and numerical modeling of electromagnetic transfer functions to quantify the ability of cloud-to-ground lightning strokes (including horizontal arc-channel components) to couple electromagnetic energy onto multiconductor cables in an underground cavity. Measurements were performed at the Sago coal mine located near Buckhannon, WV. These transfer functions, coupled with mathematical representations of lightning strokes, are then used to predict electric fields within the mine and induced voltages on a cable that was left abandoned in the sealed area of the Sago mine. If voltages reached high enough levels, electrical arcing could have occurred from the abandoned cable. Electrical arcing is known to be an effective ignition source for explosive gas mixtures. Two coupling mechanisms were measured: direct and indirect drive. Direct coupling results from the injection or induction of lightning current onto metallic conductors such as the conveyors, rails, trolley communications cable, and AC power shields that connect from the outside of the mine to locations deep within the mine. Indirect coupling results from electromagnetic field propagation through the earth as a result of a cloud-to-ground lightning stroke or a long, low-altitude horizontal current channel from a cloud-to-ground stroke. Unlike direct coupling, indirect coupling does not require metallic conductors in a continuous path from the surface to areas internal to the mine. Results from the indirect coupling measurements and analysis are of great concern. The field measurements, modeling, and analysis indicate that significant energy can be coupled directly into the sealed area of the mine. Due to the relatively low frequency content of lightning (< 100 kHz), electromagnetic energy can readily propagate through hundreds of feet of earth. Indirect transfer function measurements compare extremely well with analytical and computational models developed for the Sago site which take into account measured soil properties.

Electromagnetic Methods of Lightning Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakov, V. A.

2013-11-01

Both cloud-to-ground and cloud lightning discharges involve a number of processes that produce electromagnetic field signatures in different regions of the spectrum. Salient characteristics of measured wideband electric and magnetic fields generated by various lightning processes at distances ranging from tens to a few hundreds of kilometers (when at least the initial part of the signal is essentially radiation while being not influenced by ionospheric reflections) are reviewed. An overview of the various lightning locating techniques, including magnetic direction finding, time-of-arrival technique, and interferometry, is given. Lightning location on global scale, when radio-frequency electromagnetic signals are dominated by ionospheric reflections, is also considered. Lightning locating system performance characteristics, including flash and stroke detection efficiencies, percentage of misclassified events, location accuracy, and peak current estimation errors, are discussed. Both cloud and cloud-to-ground flashes are considered. Representative examples of modern lightning locating systems are reviewed. Besides general characterization of each system, the available information on its performance characteristics is given with emphasis on those based on formal ground-truth studies published in the peer-reviewed literature.

Using the VAHIRR Radar Algorithm to Investigate Lightning Cessation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stano, Geoffrey T.; Schultz, Elise V.; Petersen, Walter A.

2012-01-01

Accurately determining the threat posed by lightning is a major area for improved operational forecasts. Most efforts have focused on the initiation of lightning within a storm, with far less effort spent investigating lightning cessation. Understanding both components, initiation and cessation, are vital to improving lightning safety. Few organizations actively forecast lightning onset or cessation. One such organization is the 45th Weather Squadron (45WS) for the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). The 45WS has identified that charged anvil clouds remain a major threat of continued lightning and can greatly extend the window of a potential lightning strike. Furthermore, no discernable trend of total lightning activity has been observed consistently for all storms. This highlights the need for more research to find a robust method of knowing when a storm will cease producing lightning. Previous lightning cessation work has primarily focused on forecasting the cessation of cloud-to -ground lightning only. A more recent, statistical study involved total lightning (both cloud-to-ground and intracloud). Each of these previous works has helped the 45WS take steps forward in creating improved and ultimately safer lightning cessation forecasts. Each study has either relied on radar data or recommended increased use of radar data to improve cessation forecasts. The reasoning is that radar data is able to either directly or by proxy infer more about dynamical environment leading to cloud electrification and eventually lightning cessation. The authors of this project are focusing on a two ]step approach to better incorporate radar data and total lightning to improve cessation forecasts. This project will utilize the Volume Averaged Height Integrated Radar Reflectivity (VAHIRR) algorithm originally developed during the Airborne Field Mill II (ABFM II) research project. During the project, the VAHIRR product showed a trend of increasing values with increases in the electric field magnitude above 3 kV/m. An extreme value analysis showed that VAHIRR values less than or equal to 10 dBZ-km showed that the probability of having an electric field magnitude larger than 3 kV/m was less than one in ten thousand. VAHIRR also was found to be sensitive at indicating anvil clouds that posed a threat of initiating a lightning flash. This project seeks to use VAHIRR to analyze its utility as a lightning cessation tool, particularly dealing with the threat posed by detached anvils. The results from this project will serve as a baseline effectiveness of radar ]based lightning cessation algorithms. This baseline will be used in the second, and concurrent work by the co ]author fs who are developing a lightning cessation algorithm based on dual ]polarimetric radar data. Ultimately, an accurate method for identifying lightning cessation can save money on lost manpower time as well as greatly improve lightning safety.

A statistical study over Europe of the relative locations of lightning and associated energetic burst of electrons from the radiation belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourriez, F.; Sauvaud, J.-A.; Pinçon, J.-L.; Berthelier, J.-J.; Parrot, M.

2016-02-01

The DEMETER (Detection of Electro-Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions) spacecraft detects short bursts of lightning-induced electron precipitation (LEP) simultaneously with newly injected upgoing whistlers. The LEP occurs within < 1 s of the causative lightning discharge. First in situ observations of the size and location of the region affected by the LEP precipitation are presented on the basis of a statistical study made over Europe using the DEMETER energetic particle detector, wave electric field experiment, and networks of lightning detection (Météorage, the UK Met Office Arrival Time Difference network (ATDnet), and the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN)). The LEP is shown to occur significantly north of the initial lightning and extends over some 1000 km on each side of the longitude of the lightning. In agreement with models of electron interaction with obliquely propagating lightning-generated whistlers, the distance from the LEP to the lightning decreases as lightning proceed to higher latitudes.

Role of lightning phenomenon over surface O3 and NOx at a semi-arid tropical site Hyderabad, India: inter-comparison with satellite retrievals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkanna, R.; Nikhil, G. N.; Sinha, P. R.; Siva Rao, T.; Swamy, Y. V.

2016-08-01

The influence of lightning over surface-level trace gases was examined for pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons in the year 2012. Lightning events were measured using ground-based electric field monitor (EFM) and space-based lightning imaging sensor (LIS). The results showed that lightning frequency was higher during pre-monsoon period compared to monsoon, which is in good agreement with the satellite retrievals. The increase in concentration of NOx on lightning event led to a subsequent decrease in surface O3 due to the titration reaction. Source apportionment study of SO2/NOx (S/N) and CO/NOx (C/N) ratios and poor correlation of NOx vs CO and NOx vs SO2 on the lightning day confirmed the emission of NOx from dissimilar sources.

Characteristics of M-component in rocket-triggered lightning and a discussion on its mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Rubin; Qie, Xiushu; Yang, Jing; Wang, Caixia; Zhao, Yang

2013-09-01

The current and electric field pulses associated with M-component following dart leader-return stroke sequences in negative rocket-triggered lightning flashes were analyzed in detail by using the data from Shandong Artificially Triggering Lightning Experiment, conducted from 2005 to 2010. For 63 M-components with current waveforms superimposed on the relatively steady continuing current, the geometric mean values of the peak current, duration, and charge transfer were 276 A, 1.21 ms, and 101 mC, respectively. The behaviors of the channel base current versus close electric field changes and the observation facts by different authors were carefully examined for investigation on mechanism of the M-component. A modified model based on Rakov's "two-wave" theory is proposed and confirms that the evolution of M-component through the lightning channel involves a downward wave transferring negative charge from the upper to the lower channel and an upward wave draining the charge transported by the downward wave. The upward wave serves to deplete the negative charge by the downward wave at its interface and makes the charge density of the channel beneath the interface layer to be roughly zero. Such modified concept is recognized to be reasonable by the simulated results showing a good agreement between the calculated and the measured E-field waveforms.

Relationship Between the Global Electric Circuit and Electrified Cloud Parameters at Diurnal, Seasonal and Interannual Timescales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavigne, Thomas

In the early 1900's, J.W. Whipple began validating C.R. Wilson's Global Electric Circuit (GEC) hypothesis by correlating diurnal variations of global thunder days with diurnal variations of the fair weather electric field. This study applies 16+ years of Precipitation Feature (PF) data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), including lightning data from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS), alongside 12-years of electric field measurements from Vostok, Antarctica to further examine this relationship. Joint diurnal-seasonal variations of the electric field are compared with PF parameters that are potentially related to the GEC. The flash rate and volume of 30 dBZ between -5°C and -35°C variables are shown to have the best direct relationship to the electric field, with r2 values of 0.67 and 0.62, respectively. However, the Coefficient of Variation (COV) of the flash rate (28%) and the electric field (12%), display relatively large differences in the spread of the variables. The volume of 30 dBZ between -5°C and -35°C shows a closer amplitude agreement to the variance of the electric field (COV=17%). Furthermore, these relationships are analyzed during two different phases of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Results show different seasonal-diurnal variations of the electric field during ENSO phases, with enhancements in the electric field between January through April at 16-24 UTC in La Nina years. In all, similar variations have been found in the fair weather electric field, and the variation of properties of global PFs with high potential of electrification at diurnal, seasonal, and interannual timescales. These confirm the dominant role of the global thunderclouds and electrified clouds in the global electric circuit.

The Generation of Lighting in the Solar Nebula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuzzi, Jeffrey; Desch, S. J.; DeVincenzi, Donald (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

The process that melted and formed the chondrules, mm-sized glassy beads within meteorites, has not been conclusively identified. Origin by lightning in the solar nebula is consistent with many features of chondrules, but no viable model of lightning has yet been advanced. We present a model demonstrating how lightning could be generated in the solar nebula which differs from previous models in three important aspects. First, we identify a new', powerful charging mechanism that is based on the differences in contact potentials between particles of different composition, a form of triboelectric charging. In the presence of fine silicate grains and fine iron metal grains, large silicate particles (the chondrules) can acquire charges of +10(exp 5) e. Second, we assume that the chondrule precursor particles are selectively concentrated in clumps 1 - 100 km in size by the turbulent concentration mechanism described by Cuzzi et al. (1996). The concentration of these highly charged particles into clumps, in a background of negatively charged metal grains, is what generates the strong electric fields. Third, we make refinements in the estimates of the breakdown electric field and the ionization rate. We calculate that electric fields large enough to trigger breakdown easily could have existed over regions large enough (approx. 100km) to generate very large discharges of electrical energy (approx. 10(exp 16)erg). The discharges would have been sufficiently energetic and frequent to have formed the chondrules. We place constraints on the generation of lightning and conclude that it could not be generated if the abundance of Al-26 in chondrules was as high as the level in the CAls. This conclusion is consistent with isotopic analyses of chondrules. This possibly implies that Al-26 was non-uniformly distributed in the solar nebula or that the chondrules formed several Myr after the CAIs.

Runaway breakdown and hydrometeors in lightning initiation.

PubMed

Gurevich, A V; Karashtin, A N

2013-05-03

The particular electric pulse discharges are observed in thunderclouds during the initiation stage of negative cloud-to-ground lightning. The discharges are quite different from conventional streamers or leaders. A detailed analysis reveals that the shape of the pulses is determined by the runaway breakdown of air in the thundercloud electric field initiated by extensive atmospheric showers (RB-EAS). The high amplitude of the pulse electric current is due to the multiple microdischarges at hydrometeors stimulated and synchronized by the low-energy electrons generated in the RB-EAS process. The series of specific pulse discharges leads to charge reset from hydrometeors to the free ions and creates numerous stretched ion clusters, both positive and negative. As a result, a wide region in the thundercloud with a sufficiently high fractal ion conductivity is formed. The charge transport by ions plays a decisive role in the lightning leader preconditioning.

Recovery curves of the surface electric field after lightning discharges occurring between the positive charge pocket and negative charge centre in a thundercloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawar, S. D.; Kamra, A. K.

2002-12-01

Surface observations of the electric field recovery curves of the lightning discharges occurring between the positive charge pocket and negative main charge centre in an overhead thundercloud are reported. Such recovery curves are observed to have an additional step of very slow field-change observed at an after-discharge value of electric field equal to 5-6 kV m-1. The behavior of recovery curves is explained in terms of the coronae charge and the relative efficiencies of the charge generating processes responsible for growth of positive charge pocket and main negative charge centre in the thundercloud. The charging currents responsible for the growth of charge in positive charge pockets is computed to be 2-4 times larger than that for the growth of the main negative charge. However, the charge destroyed in such a discharge is found to be comparable to that in a discharge between the main charge centres of the thundercloud.

14 CFR 23.867 - Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity. 23.867 Section 23.867 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION... Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity. (a) The airplane must be...

14 CFR 23.867 - Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity. 23.867 Section 23.867 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION... Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity. (a) The airplane must be...

14 CFR 23.867 - Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity. 23.867 Section 23.867 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION... Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity. (a) The airplane must be...

14 CFR 23.867 - Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity. 23.867 Section 23.867 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION... Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity. (a) The airplane must be...

14 CFR 23.867 - Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity. 23.867 Section 23.867 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION... Electrical bonding and protection against lightning and static electricity. (a) The airplane must be...

An automatic locating system for cloud-to-ground lightning. [which utilizes a microcomputer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krider, E. P.; Pifer, A. E.; Uman, M. A.

1980-01-01

Automatic locating systems which respond to cloud to ground lightning and which discriminate against cloud discharges and background noise are described. Subsystems of the locating system, which include the direction finder and the position analyzer, are discussed. The direction finder senses the electromagnetic fields radiated by lightning on two orthogonal magnetic loop antennas and on a flat plate electric antenna. The position analyzer is a preprogrammed microcomputer system which automatically computes, maps, and records lightning locations in real time using data inputs from the direction finder. The use of the locating systems for wildfire management and fire weather forecasting is discussed.

Ball lightning dynamics and stability at moderate ion densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrow, R.

2017-10-01

A general mechanism is presented for the dynamics and structure of ball lightning and for the maintenance of the ball lightning structure for several seconds. Results are obtained using a spherical geometry for air at atmospheric pressure, by solving the continuity equations for electrons, positive ions and negative ions coupled with Poisson’s equation. A lightning strike can generate conditions in the lightning channel with a majority of positive nitrogen ions, and a minority of negative oxygen ions and electrons. The calculations are initiated with electrons included; however, at the moderate ion densities chosen the electrons are rapidly lost to form negative ions, and after 1 µs their influence on the ion dynamics is negligible. Further development after 1 µs is followed using a simpler set of equations involving only positive ions and negative ions, but including ion diffusion. The space-charge electric field generated by the majority positive ions drives them from the centre of the distribution and drives the minority negative ions and electrons towards the centre of the distribution. In the central region the positive and negative ion distributions eventually overlap exactly and their space-charge fields cancel resulting in zero electric field, and the plasma ball formed is quite stable for a number of seconds. The formation of such plasma balls is not critically dependent on the initial diameter of the ion distributions, or the initial density of minority negative ions. The ion densities decrease relatively slowly due to mutual neutralization of positive and negative ions. The radiation from this neutralization process involving positive nitrogen ions and negative oxygen ions is not sufficient to account for the reported luminosity of ball lightning and some other source of luminosity is shown to be required; the plasma ball model used could readily incorporate other ions in order to account for the luminosity and range of colours reported for ball lightning. Additionally, ‘phantom plasma balls’ may well be generated and go unnoticed due to very low luminosity; luminous ball lightning may be the exception. Finally, the mechanism described here may also be active in the dynamics of bead lightning.

Trends in Lightning Electrical Energy Derived from the Lightning Imaging Sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bitzer, P. M.; Koshak, W. J.

2016-12-01

We present results detailing an emerging application of space-based measurement of lightning: the electrical energy. This is a little-used attribute of lightning data which can have applications for severe weather, lightning physics, and wildfires. In particular, we use data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Lightning Imaging Sensor (TRMM/LIS) to find the temporal and spatial variations in the detected spectral energy density. This is used to estimate the total lightning electrical energy, following established methodologies. Results showing the trend in time of the electrical energy, as well as the distribution around the globe, will be highlighted. While flashes have been typically used in most studies, the basic scientifically-relevant measured unit by LIS is the optical group data product. This generally corresponds to a return stroke or IC pulse. We explore how the electrical energy varies per LIS group, providing an extension and comparison with previous investigations. The result is an initial climatology of this new and important application of space-based optical measurements of lightning, which can provide a baseline for future applications using the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), the European Lightning Imager (LI), and the International Space Station Lightning Imaging Sensor (ISS/LIS) instruments.

Electric Field Profiles over Hurricanes, Tropical Cyclones, and Thunderstorms with an Instrumented ER-2 Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mach, Doug M.; Blakeslee, Richard J.; Bateman, Monte G.; Bailey, Jeff C.

2007-01-01

Over the past several years, we have flown a set of calibrated electric field meters (FMs) on the NASA high altitude ER-2 aircraft over oceanic and landbased storms in a number of locations. These included tropical oceanic cyclones and hurricanes in the Caribbean and Atlantic ocean during the Third and Fourth Convection And Moisture EXperiment (CAMEX-3,1998; CAMEX-4, 2001), thunderstorms in Florida during the TExas FLorida UNderflight (TEFLUN, 1998) experiment, tropical thunderstorms in Brazil during the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission - Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (TRMM LBA, 1999), and finally, hurricanes and tropical cyclones in the Caribbean and Western Pacific and thunderstorms in Central America during the Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP, 2005) mission. Between these various missions we have well over 50 sorties that provide a unique insights on the different electrical environment, evolution and activity occurring in and around these various types of storms. In general, the electric fields over the tropical oceanic storms and hurricanes were less than a few kilovolts per meter at the ER-2 altitude, while the lightning rates were low. Land-based thunderstorms often produced high lightning activity and correspondingly higher electric fields.

Combining lightning leader and relativistic feedback discharge models of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwyer, J. R.

2016-12-01

Lightning leader models of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are based on the observations that leaders emit bursts of hard x-rays. These x-rays are thought to be generated by runaway electrons created in the high-field regions associated with the leader tips and/or streamers heads. Inside a thunderstorm, it has been proposed that these runaway electrons may experience additional relativistic runaway electron avalanche (RREA) multiplication, increasing the number and the average energy of the electrons, and possibly resulting in a TGF. When modeling TGFs it is important to include the discharge currents resulting from the ionization produced by the runaway electrons, since these currents may alter the electric fields and affect the TGF. In addition, relativistic feedback effects, caused by backward propagating positrons and backscattered x-rays, need to be included, since relativistic feedback limits the size of the electric field and the amount of a RREA multiplication that may occur. In this presentation, a lightning leader model of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes that includes the effects of the discharge currents and relativistic feedback will be described and compared with observations.

14 CFR 25.1316 - Electrical and electronic system lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... time the airplane is exposed to lightning; and (2) The system automatically recovers normal operation of that function in a timely manner after the airplane is exposed to lightning. (b) Each electrical... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Electrical and electronic system lightning...

14 CFR 25.1316 - Electrical and electronic system lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... time the airplane is exposed to lightning; and (2) The system automatically recovers normal operation of that function in a timely manner after the airplane is exposed to lightning. (b) Each electrical... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Electrical and electronic system lightning...

14 CFR 25.1316 - Electrical and electronic system lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... time the airplane is exposed to lightning; and (2) The system automatically recovers normal operation of that function in a timely manner after the airplane is exposed to lightning. (b) Each electrical... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Electrical and electronic system lightning...

Combining GOES-16 Geostationary Lightning Mapper with the ground based Earth Networks Total Lightning Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stock, M.; Lapierre, J. L.; Zhu, Y.

2017-12-01

Recently, the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) began collecting optical data to locate lightning events and flashes over the North and South American continents. This new instrument promises uniformly high detection efficiency (DE) over its entire field of view, with location accuracy on the order of 10 km. In comparison, Earth Networks Total Lightning Networks (ENTLN) has a less uniform coverage, with higher DE in regions with dense sensor coverage, and lower DE with sparse sensor coverage. ENTLN also offers better location accuracy, lightning classification, and peak current estimation for their lightning locations. It is desirable to produce an integrated dataset, combining the strong points of GLM and ENTLN. The easiest way to achieve this is to simply match located lightning processes from each system using time and distance criteria. This simple method will be limited in scope by the uneven coverage of the ground based network. Instead, we will use GLM group locations to look up the electric field change data recorded by ground sensors near each GLM group, vastly increasing the coverage of the ground network. The ground waveforms can then be used for: improvements to differentiation between glint and lightning for GLM, higher precision lighting location, current estimation, and lightning process classification. Presented is an initial implementation of this type of integration using preliminary GLM data, and waveforms from ENTLN.

The influence of the breakdown electric field in the configuration of lightning corona sheath on charge distribution in the channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ignjatovic, Milan; Cvetic, Jovan; Heidler, Fridolin; Markovic, Slavoljub; Djuric, Radivoje

2014-11-01

A model of corona sheath that surrounds the thin core of the lightning channel has been investigated by using a generalized traveling current source return stroke model. The lightning channel is modeled by a charged corona sheath that stretches around a highly conductive central core through which the main current flows. The channel core with the negatively charged outer channel sheath forms a strong electric field, with an overall radial orientation. The return stroke process is modeled as the negative leader charge in the corona sheath being discharged by the positive charge coming from the channel core. Expressions that describe how the corona sheath radius evolves during the return stroke are obtained from the corona sheath model, which predicts charge motion within the sheath. The corona sheath model, set forth by Maslowski and Rakov (2006), Tausanovic et al. (2010), Marjanovic and Cvetic (2009), Cvetic et al. (2011) and Cvetic et al. (2012), divides the sheath onto three zones: zone 1 (surrounding the channel core with net positive charge), zone 2 (surrounding zone 1 with negative charge) and zone 3 (the outer zone, representing uncharged virgin air). In the present study, we have assumed a constant electric field inside zone 1, as suggested by experimental research of corona discharges in coaxial geometry conducted by Cooray (2000). The present investigation builds upon previous studies by Tausanovic et al. (2010) and Cvetic et al. (2012) in several ways. The value of the breakdown electric field has been varied for probing its effect on channel charge distribution prior and during the return stroke. With the aim of investigating initial space charge distribution along the channel, total electric field at the outer surface of the channel corona sheath, just before the return stroke, is calculated and compared for various return stroke models. A self-consistent algorithm is applied to the generalized traveling current source return stroke model, so that the boundary condition for total electric field is fulfilled. The new density of space charge and the new radius of channel corona envelope, immediately before the return stroke stage, are calculated. The obtained results indicate a strong dependence of channel charge distribution on the breakdown electric field value. Among the compared return stroke models, transmission-line-type models have exhibited a good agreement with the predictions of the Gauss' law regarding total breakdown electric field on the corona sheath's outer surface. The generalized lightning traveling current source return stroke model gives similar results if the adjustment of the space charge density inside the corona sheath is performed.

KSC00pp0883

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

Lightning field study devices are visible on a Cessna Citation aircraft during flight over Central Florida. The center of the black circle contains one of six field mills, used to measure electric fields, located on the body of the plane. Below the circle is one of several cloud physics probes attached to the plane that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The Cessna is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information about the study can be found in Release No. 56-00

KSC-00pp0883

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

Lightning field study devices are visible on a Cessna Citation aircraft during flight over Central Florida. The center of the black circle contains one of six field mills, used to measure electric fields, located on the body of the plane. Below the circle is one of several cloud physics probes attached to the plane that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The Cessna is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information about the study can be found in Release No. 56-00

A study of the contribution of thunderstorms to the Global Electric Circuit using a time dependent numerical model and a fractal model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallios, Sotirios A.

The Global Electric Circuit (GEC) is a circuit that is formed between the Earth's surface, which is a good conductor of electricity, and the ionosphere, a weakly-ionized plasma at ˜80 km altitude. Thunderstorms are believed to be the major charging sources of this circuit. In this dissertation, we present our studies on the contribution of thunderstorms to the Global electric Circuit. We examine the current that is driven to the ionosphere and to the ground before, during and after single negative cloud-to-ground (CG) and intra-cloud (IC) lightning discharges. A numerical model has been developed, that calculates the quasi-electrostatic field before the lightning, due to the slow accumulation of the charge in the thunder-cloud, and after the lightning by taking into account the Maxwellian relaxation of the charges in the conducting atmosphere and accounting for the dissipation stage of the thunderstorm development. From these results, the charges that are transferred to the ionosphere and to the ground are calculated. We demonstrate the significance of considering the pre-lightning and the dissipation stages and accounting for realistic distribution of the conductivity inside of the thundercloud for the accurate calculation of the charge flow to the ionosphere and to the ground. We show that the charge transfer to the ionosphere depends mainly on the altitudes of the charges inside the thundercloud and their spatial separation. The amount of charge that is transferred to the ground, due to currents flowing in the vicinity of the thundercloud during a transient time period following a lightning discharge, is significantly affected by the conductivity distribution in the thundercloud and can be several times smaller than the amount of charge that is transferred to the ionosphere during the same time period. Moreover, we show that the duration of each of the thunderstorm life cycle stages affects the results. Furthermore, we show the influence of the corona currents on the overall current system. We extend the model to include the whole domain of the GEC. We investigate different types of boundary conditions for the proper modeling of the global current flow in the presence of a single storm and the resulting potential difference that is created. We compare this model in the steady state limit with a static model that has been developed in previous published studies. We apply the model to a case of an experimentally measured thunderstorm. We investigate the Wilson current that flows from its top towards the ionosphere as a function of a sequence of different types of lightning discharges, the flash rate and the conductivity distribution. We compare the results with the measurements and we make conclusions regarding the validity of the modeling concept. We develop a time-dependent fluid model that is able to calculate self consistently the time dynamics of the conductivity distribution along with the time dynamics of the thunderstorm electrical properties. This model takes into account several atmospheric processes such as the ionization due to the galactic cosmic rays radiation, the ion-ion recombination, and the attachment of ions to cloud particles. We study the regimes at which the previous models that assume constant conductivity over time are valid and we quantify the similarities and differences between these two models. Finally, we model the lightning discharge channel using a three-dimensional cartesian fractal model. The purpose of this model is to simulate several types of lightning discharges that occur in realistic thunderstorms and calculate the amount of charge that is removed or neutralized from each thunderstorm. At the same time we used this model to quantify the potential differences produced in a developing IC lightning discharge for given thunderstorm electric configurations. We present a case of a +IC lightning discharge in a realistic thunderstorm configuration that leads to a very high (˜300 MV) potential difference, and show how a delay in the development of the negative leader with respect to the positive one in a bidirectional leader system can facilitate a high potential difference in the negative leader head region, which favors the production of terrestrial gamma ray flashes. Terrestrial gamma ray flashes are high energy (up to 100 MeV) photon bursts originating from the Earth's atmosphere in association with IC lightning discharges.

Measurements of induced voltages and currents in a distribution power line and associated atmospheric parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santiago-Perez, Julio

1988-01-01

The frequency and intensity of thunderstorms around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has affected scheduled launch, landing, and other ground operations for many years. In order to protect against and provide safe working facilities, KSC has performed and hosted several studies on lightning phenomena. For the reasons mentioned above, KSC has established the Atmospheric Science Field Laboratory (ASFL). At these facilities KSC launches wire-towing rockets into thunderstorms to trigger natural lightning to the launch site. A program named Rocket Triggered Lightning Program (RTLP) is being conducted at the ASFL. This report calls for two of the experiments conducted in the summer 1988 Rocket Triggered Lightning Program. One experiment suspended an electric field mill over the launching areas from a balloon about 500 meters high to measure the space charges over the launching area. The other was to connect a waveform recorder to a nearby distribution power line to record currents and voltages wave forms induced by natural and triggered lightning.

Measurements of induced voltages and currents in a distribution power line and associated atmospheric parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santiago-Perez, Julio

1988-10-01

The frequency and intensity of thunderstorms around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has affected scheduled launch, landing, and other ground operations for many years. In order to protect against and provide safe working facilities, KSC has performed and hosted several studies on lightning phenomena. For the reasons mentioned above, KSC has established the Atmospheric Science Field Laboratory (ASFL). At these facilities KSC launches wire-towing rockets into thunderstorms to trigger natural lightning to the launch site. A program named Rocket Triggered Lightning Program (RTLP) is being conducted at the ASFL. This report calls for two of the experiments conducted in the summer 1988 Rocket Triggered Lightning Program. One experiment suspended an electric field mill over the launching areas from a balloon about 500 meters high to measure the space charges over the launching area. The other was to connect a waveform recorder to a nearby distribution power line to record currents and voltages wave forms induced by natural and triggered lightning.

14 CFR 29.610 - Lightning and static electricity protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Lightning and static electricity protection... § 29.610 Lightning and static electricity protection. (a) The rotorcraft structure must be protected... electricity must— (1) Minimize the accumulation of electrostatic charge; (2) Minimize the risk of electric...

14 CFR 29.610 - Lightning and static electricity protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Lightning and static electricity protection... § 29.610 Lightning and static electricity protection. (a) The rotorcraft structure must be protected... electricity must— (1) Minimize the accumulation of electrostatic charge; (2) Minimize the risk of electric...

14 CFR 29.610 - Lightning and static electricity protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Lightning and static electricity protection... § 29.610 Lightning and static electricity protection. (a) The rotorcraft structure must be protected... electricity must— (1) Minimize the accumulation of electrostatic charge; (2) Minimize the risk of electric...

14 CFR 29.610 - Lightning and static electricity protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Lightning and static electricity protection... § 29.610 Lightning and static electricity protection. (a) The rotorcraft structure must be protected... electricity must— (1) Minimize the accumulation of electrostatic charge; (2) Minimize the risk of electric...

14 CFR 29.610 - Lightning and static electricity protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Lightning and static electricity protection... § 29.610 Lightning and static electricity protection. (a) The rotorcraft structure must be protected... electricity must— (1) Minimize the accumulation of electrostatic charge; (2) Minimize the risk of electric...

Physical mechanism and numerical simulation of the inception of the lightning upward leader

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li Qingmin; Lu Xinchang; Shi Wei

2012-12-15

The upward leader is a key physical process of the leader progression model of lightning shielding. The inception mechanism and criterion of the upward leader need further understanding and clarification. Based on leader discharge theory, this paper proposes the critical electric field intensity of the stable upward leader (CEFISUL) and characterizes it by the valve electric field intensity on the conductor surface, E{sub L}, which is the basis of a new inception criterion for the upward leader. Through numerical simulation under various physical conditions, we verified that E{sub L} is mainly related to the conductor radius, and data fitting yieldsmore » the mathematical expression of E{sub L}. We further establish a computational model for lightning shielding performance of the transmission lines based on the proposed CEFISUL criterion, which reproduces the shielding failure rate of typical UHV transmission lines. The model-based calculation results agree well with the statistical data from on-site operations, which show the effectiveness and validity of the CEFISUL criterion.« less

Impact of lightning on the lower ionosphere of Saturn and possible generation of Transient Luminous Events (TLEs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luque, Alejandro; Dubrovin, Daria; José Gordillo-Vázquez, Francisco; Ebert, Ute; Yair, Yoav; Price, Colin

2013-04-01

Radio observations [1] and, more recently, optical images from the Cassini spacecraft [2] have clearly established the existence of electrical storms in Saturn and constrained the possible altitude range and total dissipated energy of lightning strokes. Based on these observations, we here investigate the physical effects of lightning on the upper layers of Saturn's atmosphere. We first study the relevance of the conductivity profile of the lower Saturnian ionosphere and how the Maxwell relaxation time limits the amplitude and duration of the reduced electric fields. We implemented a simple, zero-dimensional model [3] that considers only the most relevant ionization reactions; we then applied this model to two conductivity profiles proposed in the literature [4, 5] and a range of possible amplitudes and durations of the driving stroke. Then we investigate the possibility that the lightning-induced ionization results in a field that is locally strong enough to ignite streamer discharges and thus form a sprite. A sprite would lead to localized but very intense fields potentially resulting in detectable optical emissions [6]. We model the possible sprite inception with a self-consistent, cylindrically symmetrical 3d transport code [7]. Finally we discuss the chemical impact of lightning-induced electric fields in the upper Saturnian atmosphere. We use a kinetic model where we implemented the most important reactions induced by energized electrons in a H2/He atmosphere. We thus investigate what species densities are significantly enhanced and what are the expected spectroscopical signatures of upper-atmospheric electricity in Saturn. [1] G. Fischer, M.D. Desch, P. Zarka, M.L. Kaiser, D.A. Gurnett, W.S. Kurth, W. Macher, HO Rucker, A. Lecacheux, W.M. Farrell, et al., Saturn lightning recorded by cassini/rpws in 2004. Icarus, 183(1):135, 2006. [2] U.A. Dyudina, A.P. Ingersoll, S.P. Ewald, C.C. Porco, G. Fischer, W.S. Kurth, and R.A. West, Detection of visible lightning on saturn. Geophys. Res. Lett., 37:L09205, 2010. [3] A. Luque and F.J. Gordillo-Vázquez, Mesospheric electric breakdown and delayed sprite ignition caused by electron detachment. Nature Geoscience, 5:22, 2011. [4] L.E. Moore, M. Mendillo, I.C.F. Müller-Wodarg, and D.L. Murr. Modeling of global variations and ring shadowing in saturn's ionosphere, Icarus, 172(2): 503-520, 2004. [5] M. Galand, L. Moore, B. Charnay, I. Mueller-Wodarg, and M. Mendillo. Solar primary and secondary ionization at Saturn, J. Geophys. Res., 114(A6): A06313, 2009. [6] D. Dubrovin, S. Nijdam, E. M. van Veldhuizen, U. Ebert, Y. Yair, and C. Price, Sprite discharges on venus and jupiter-like planets: A laboratory investigation. J. Geophys. Res., 115:A00E34, 2010. [7] A. Luque and U. Ebert, A. Luque and U. Ebert, Emergence of sprite streamers from screening-ionization waves in the lower ionosphere, Nature Geoscience 2, 757-760, 2009

Registration of X-rays at 2500 m altitude in association with lightning flashes and thunderstorms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montanyà, Joan; Fabró, Ferran; van der Velde, Oscar; Romero, David; Solà, Gloria; Hermoso, Juan Ramon; Soula, Serge; Williams, Earle R.; Pineda, Nicolau

2014-02-01

Electric fields and high-energy radiation of natural lightning measured at close range from a mountaintop tower are discussed. In none of the 12 negative cloud-to-ground upward flashes were X-rays observed. Also no energetic radiation was found in one negative upward leader at close range (20 m). In the first of two consecutive negative cloud-to-ground flashes, X-rays were detected during the last 1.75 ms of the leader. During the time of energetic radiation in the flash an intense burst of intracloud VHF sources was located by the interferometers. The X-ray production is attributed to the high electric field runaway electron mechanism during leader stepping. Even though the second flash struck closer than the previous one, no X-rays were detected. The absence of energetic radiation is attributed to being outside of the beam of X-ray photons from the leader tip or to the stepping process not allowing sufficiently intense electric fields ahead of the leader tip. High-speed video of downward negative leaders at the time when X-rays are commonly detected on the ground revealed the increase of speed and luminosity of the leader. Both phenomena allow higher electric fields at the leader front favoring energetic radiation. Background radiation was also measured during thunderstorms. The count rate of a particular day is presented and discussed. The increases in the radiation count rate are more coincident with radar reflectivity levels above 30 dBZ than with the total lightning activity close to the site. The increases of dose are attributed to radon daughter-ion precipitation.

Modeling Long-Distance ELF Radio Atmospherics Generated by Rocket-Triggered Lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, R. C.; Kunduri, B.; Anand, S.; Dupree, N.; Mitchell, M.; Agrawal, D.

2010-12-01

This paper addresses the generation and propagation of radio atmospherics (sferics) radiated by lightning in order to assess the ability to infer the electrical properties of lightning from great distances. This ability may prove to greatly enhance the understanding of lightning processes that are associated with the production of transient luminous events (TLEs) as well as other ionospheric effects associated with lightning. The modeling of the sferic waveform is carried out using a modified version of the Long Wavelength Propagation Capability (LWPC) code developed by the Naval Ocean Systems Center over a period of many years. LWPC is an inherently narrowband propagation code that has been modified to predict the broadband response of the Earth-ionosphere waveguide to an impulsive lightning flash. Unlike other similar efforts, the modified code presented preserves the ability of LWPC to account for waveguide mode-coupling and to account for changes to the electrical properties of the ground and ionosphere along the propagation path. The effort described is conducted in advance of the deployment of a global extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic field array, which is presently under construction. The global ELF array is centered on the International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT) located at Camp Blanding, Florida. The ICLRT is well-known for conducting rocket-triggered lightning experiments over the last 15-20 years. This paper uses lightning current waveforms directly measured at the base of the lightning channel (observations performed at the ICLRT) as an input to the model to predict the sferic waveform to be observed by the array under various ionospheric conditions. An analysis of the predicted sferic waveforms is presented, and the components of the lightning current waveform that most effectively excite the Earth-ionosphere waveguide are identified.

14 CFR 27.610 - Lightning and static electricity protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Lightning and static electricity protection....610 Lightning and static electricity protection. (a) The rotorcraft must be protected against... static electricity must— (1) Minimize the accumulation of electrostatic charge; (2) Minimize the risk of...

14 CFR 27.610 - Lightning and static electricity protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Lightning and static electricity protection....610 Lightning and static electricity protection. (a) The rotorcraft must be protected against... static electricity must— (1) Minimize the accumulation of electrostatic charge; (2) Minimize the risk of...

14 CFR 27.610 - Lightning and static electricity protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Lightning and static electricity protection....610 Lightning and static electricity protection. (a) The rotorcraft must be protected against... static electricity must— (1) Minimize the accumulation of electrostatic charge; (2) Minimize the risk of...

14 CFR 27.610 - Lightning and static electricity protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Lightning and static electricity protection....610 Lightning and static electricity protection. (a) The rotorcraft must be protected against... static electricity must— (1) Minimize the accumulation of electrostatic charge; (2) Minimize the risk of...

14 CFR 27.610 - Lightning and static electricity protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Lightning and static electricity protection....610 Lightning and static electricity protection. (a) The rotorcraft must be protected against... static electricity must— (1) Minimize the accumulation of electrostatic charge; (2) Minimize the risk of...

Application of the Lienard-Wiechert solution to a lightning return stroke model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meneghini, R.

1983-01-01

The electric and magnetic fields associated with the lightning return stroke are expressed as a convolution of the current waveform shape and the fields generated by a moving charge of amplitude one (i.e., the Lienard-Wiechert solution for a unit charge). The representation can be used to compute the fields produced by a current waveform of non-uniform velocity that propagates along a filament of arbitrary, but finite, curvature. To study numerically the effects of linear charge acceleration and channel curvature two simple channel models are used: the linear and the hyperbolic.

Application of the Lienard-Wiechert solution to a lightning return stroke model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meneghini, R.

1984-01-01

The electric and magnetic fields associated with the lightning return stroke are expressed as a convolution of the current waveform shape and the fields generated by a moving charge of amplitude one (i.e., the Lienard-Wiechert solution for a unit charge). The representation can be used to compute the fields produced by a current waveform of non-uniform velocity that propagates along a filament of arbitrary, but finite, curvature. To study numerically the effects of linear charge acceleration and channel curvature two simple channel models are used: the linear and the hyperbolic.

Lightning and related phenomena in thunderstorms and squall lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, W. D.; Taylor, W. L.; Macgorman, D. R.; Brandes, E.; Mazur, V.; Arnold, R.; Marshall, T.; Christian, H.; Goodman, S. J.

1984-01-01

During the past few years, cooperative research on storm electricity has yielded the following results of both basic and applied interest: (1) the intracloud to cloud-to-ground flashing ratio can be as great as 40:1; (2) as storm cells in a squall line dissipate, longer flashes become predominant; (3) there are two centers of lightning activity maxima that are vertically separated, the lower maximum at about 5 km and the upper at about 12 km. In addition, (4) storms produce lightning in their upper regions at a high rate; (5) lightning appears to be related in time to convective motions; (6) positive cloud-to-ground flashes occur in the severe stage of storms and in the later, well-developed stage of squall line storms; (7) mesoscale convective complexes have been observed to have cloud-to-ground flashing rates of more than 48/min; and (8) the electric field in anvils well away from the main storm core (more than 60 km) can be very high, more than 94 kV/m.

Lightning Mapping Observations of Volume-Filling Small Discharges in Thunderstorms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rison, W.; Krehbiel, P. R.; Thomas, R. J.; Rodeheffer, D.

2013-12-01

Lightning is usually considered to be a large-scale electrical discharge in the atmosphere. For example, the American Meteorological Society's Glossary of Meteorology defines lightning as "a transient, high-current electric discharge with pathlengths measured in kilometers" (http://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Lightning). There have been several reported examples of short-duration discharges in thunderstorms, which have a duration of a few microseconds to less than a millisecond, and have a small spatial extent These short-duration discharges were located at high altitudes (> 14 km), altitudes consistent with being located between the upper positive charge and the negative screening layer. At these altitudes, the electric field needed to initiate an electrical discharge is much lower than it is at the altitudes of initiation for IC (~8 km) or CG (~5 km) flashes. We have recently reported on short-duration "precursor" discharges with durations of a few microseconds to a few milliseconds, which occur in the high-fields between the mid-level negative and upper positive charge regions. These "precursor" discharges are discrete in both time and space, being separated in time by hundreds of milliseconds to several seconds, and localized in space, usually very close to the initiation location of a subsequent IC discharge. We have recently observed nearly continuous, volume filling short-duration discharges in several thunderstorms. These discharges have durations of much less than a millisecond, spatial extents of less than a few hundred meters, and occur randomly in the volume between the mid-level negative and upper positive charge regions. During an active period, these discharges occur every few milliseconds. The rates of these discharges decreases dramatically to a few per second following an IC discharge, then increases to several hundred per second until the next discharge. In a storm just off the Florida coast, one cell was producing a large number of these small discharges, while a contemporaneous cell a few kilometers west produced no detectable small discharges. Short-duration discharges occur at altitudes between 10 km and 14 km in the intervals between lightning discharges. The rates of short-duration discharges decreases dramatically after a lightning discharge.

Thunderstorm hazards flight research: Storm hazards 1980 overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deal, P. L.; Keyser, G. L.; Fisher, B. D.; Crabill, N. L.

1981-01-01

A highly instrumented NASA F-106B aircraft, modified for the storm hazards mission and protected against direct lightning strikes, was used in conjunction with various ground based radar and lightning measurement systems to collect data during thunderstorm penetration flights. During 69 thunderstorm penetrations, there were 10 direct lightning strikes to the aircraft. No problems were encountered with any of the aircraft's systems as a result of the strikes and the research instrumentation performed as designed. Electromagnetic characteristics of nine strikes were recorded, and the results of other experiments confirm the theory that X-ray radiation and nitrous oxide gas are being produced by processes associated directly with thunderstorm electric fields and lightning discharges. A better understanding of aircraft lightning attachment mechanisms and strike zones is being accomplished by careful inspection, identification, and documentation of lightning attachment points and swept stroke paths following each strike to the aircraft.

Measured electric field in the vicinity of a thunderstorm system at an altitude of 37 km

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benbrook, J. R.; Kern, J. W.; Sheldon, W. R.

1974-01-01

A balloon-borne experiment to measure the atmospheric electric field was flown from the National Scientific Balloon Facility at Palestine, Texas, on July 10, 1973. The electric field and atmospheric conductivity were measured during ascent and for a 4-hour float period at 37-km altitude. Termination of the flight occurred near a thunderstorm line in west Texas. The perturbing influence of the thunderstorms on the electric field was observed at least 100 km from the storm line. The measured electric field is in reasonable agreement with calculations based on simple models of cloud structure and atmospheric conductivity. Large pulses in the measured electric field are interpreted as being the result of intracloud lightning.

Electromagnetic Model Of A Lightning Dart Leader In The Earth Atmosphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gordeev, A. V.; Losseva, T. V.

2006-01-15

The fundamentally new approach to the lightning step and dart leaders structure model is suggested, which shows a possibility of the drift propagation for the electrons in a plasma channel. Appearance of the strong Hall electric field in the current channel by the account of the magnetic field can result in the generation of the relativistic drifting electrons to be held in the channel due to the magnetic self-insulation effect. The range of the measured x-ray emission from the lightning channel 30-250 keV, which corresponds to the measured current value 4-11 kA, is in a reasonably good agreement with themore » estimates made in the framework of presented model.« less

Analysis of electromagnetic fields on an F-106B aircraft during lightning strikes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trost, T. F.; Pitts, F. L.

1982-01-01

Information on the exterior electromagnetic environment of an aircraft when it is struck by lightning has been obtained during thunderstorm penetrations with an F-106B aircraft. Electric and magnetic fields were observed, using mainly time-derivative type sensors, with bandwidths to 50 MHz. Lightning pulse lengths ranging from 25 ns to 7 microsec have been recorded. Sufficient high-frequency content was present to excite electromagnetic resonances of the aircraft, and peaks in the frequency spectra of the waveforms in the range 7 to 23 MHz are in agreement with the resonant frequencies determined in laboratory scale-model tests. Both positively and negatively charged strikes were experienced, and most of the data suggest low values of peak current.

Summary of Almost 20 Years of Storm Overflight Electric Field, Conductivity, Flash Rates, and Electric Current Statistics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blakeslee, Richard J.; Mach, Douglas M.; Bateman, Monte J.; Bailey, Jeffrey C.

2011-01-01

We determined total conduction currents and flash rates for around 900 high-altitude aircraft overflights of electrified clouds over 17 years. The overflights include a wide geographical sample of storms over land and ocean, with and without lightning, and with positive (i.e., upward-directed) and negative current. Peak electric field, with lightning transients removed, ranged from -1.0 kV m(sup -1) to 16. kV m(sup -1), with mean (median) of 0.9 kV m(sup -1) (0.29 kV m(sup -1)). Total conductivity at flight altitude ranged from 0.6 pS m(sup -1) to 3.6 pS m(sup -1), with mean and median of 2.2 pS m(sup -1). Peak current densities ranged from -2.0 nA m(sup -2) to 33.0 nA m(sup -2) with mean (median) of 1.9 nA m(sup -2) (0.6 nA m(sup -2)). Total upward current flow from storms in our dataset ranged from -1.3 to 9.4 A. The mean current for storms with lightning is 1.6 A over ocean and 1.0 A over land. The mean current for electrified shower clouds (i.e. electrified storms without lightning) is 0.39 A for ocean and 0.13 A for land. About 78% (43%) of the land (ocean) storms have detectable lightning. Land storms have 2.8 times the mean flash rate as ocean storms (2.2 versus 0.8 flashes min(sup -1), respectively). Approximately 7% of the overflights had negative current. The mean and median currents for positive (negative) polarity storms are 1.0 and 0.35 A (-0.30 and -0.26 A). We found no regional or latitudinal-based patterns in our storm currents, nor support for simple scaling laws between cloud top height and lightning flash rate.

Statistical analysis of storm electrical discharges reconstituted from a lightning mapping system, a lightning location system, and an acoustic array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallin, Louis-Jonardan; Farges, Thomas; Marchiano, Régis; Coulouvrat, François; Defer, Eric; Rison, William; Schulz, Wolfgang; Nuret, Mathieu

2016-04-01

In the framework of the European Hydrological Cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment project, a field campaign devoted to the study of electrical activity during storms took place in the south of France in 2012. An acoustic station composed of four microphones and four microbarometers was deployed within the coverage of a Lightning Mapping Array network. On the 26 October 2012, a thunderstorm passed just over the acoustic station. Fifty-six natural thunder events, due to cloud-to-ground and intracloud flashes, were recorded. This paper studies the acoustic reconstruction, in the low frequency range from 1 to 40 Hz, of the recorded flashes and their comparison with detections from electromagnetic networks. Concurrent detections from the European Cooperation for Lightning Detection lightning location system were also used. Some case studies show clearly that acoustic signal from thunder comes from the return stroke but also from the horizontal discharges which occur inside the clouds. The huge amount of observation data leads to a statistical analysis of lightning discharges acoustically recorded. Especially, the distributions of altitudes of reconstructed acoustic detections are explored in detail. The impact of the distance to the source on these distributions is established. The capacity of the acoustic method to describe precisely the lower part of nearby cloud-to-ground discharges, where the Lightning Mapping Array network is not effective, is also highlighted.

Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) for the Earth Observing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christian, Hugh J.; Blakeslee, Richard J.; Goodman, Steven J.

1992-01-01

Not only are scientific objectives and instrument characteristics given of a calibrated optical LIS for the EOS but also for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) which was designed to acquire and study the distribution and variability of total lightning on a global basis. The LIS can be traced to a lightning mapper sensor planned for flight on the GOES meteorological satellites. The LIS consists of a staring imager optimized to detect and locate lightning. The LIS will detect and locate lightning with storm scale resolution (i.e., 5 to 10 km) over a large region of the Earth's surface along the orbital track of the satellite, mark the time of occurrence of the lightning, and measure the radiant energy. The LIS will have a nearly uniform 90 pct. detection efficiency within the area viewed by the sensor, and will detect intracloud and cloud-to-ground discharges during day and night conditions. Also, the LIS will monitor individual storms and storm systems long enough to obtain a measure of the lightning flashing rate when they are within the field of view of the LIS. The LIS attributes include low cost, low weight and power, low data rate, and important science. The LIS will study the hydrological cycle, general circulation and sea surface temperature variations, along with examinations of the electrical coupling of thunderstorms with the ionosphere and magnetosphere, and observations and modeling of the global electric circuit.

Relationship between the global electric circuit and electrified cloud parameters at diurnal, seasonal, and interannual timescales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavigne, Thomas; Liu, Chuntao; Deierling, Wiebke; Mach, Douglas

2017-08-01

In the early 1900s, J. W. Whipple began to validate C. T. R. Wilson's global electric circuit (GEC) hypothesis by correlating the diurnal variation of global thunder days with the diurnal variation of the fair weather electric field measured by the Carnegie Cruise. This study applies 16+ years of precipitation feature (PF) data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, including lightning data from the Lightning Imaging Sensor, alongside 12 years of electric field measurements from Vostok, Antarctica, to further examine this relationship. Joint diurnal-seasonal variations of the electric field are introduced and compared with a variety of PF parameters that are potentially related to the GEC. All tested PF parameters showed significant correlations to the electric field on the joint seasonal-diurnal timescale, with the flash rate and volume of 30 dBZ between the -5°C and -35°C isotherms showing the best linear correlations with R2 values of 0.67 and 0.62, respectively. Furthermore, these relationships are analyzed during the two different phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Results show different seasonal-diurnal variations of the electric field during El Niño and La Niña periods, with enhancements in the electric field between the months of January through April at 16-24 UTC in La Niña years. A similar trend is shown in global PF parameters, indicating relationships between the variations seen in the fair weather electric field and the variations of global PFs at diurnal, seasonal, and interannual timescales. This provides further evidence that PFs around the globe have a direct connection to the GEC.

Validation of GEMACS (General Electromagnetic Model for the Analysis of Complex Systems) for Modeling Lightning-Induced Electromagnetic Fields.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-01

0 00 I DTIC"ELECTE. ~FEB 0 911988< " H VALIDATION OF GEMACS FOR MODELING ’LIGHTNING-INDUCED ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS THESIS David S. Mabee Captain...THESIS David S. Mabee . Captain, USAFD T C ’::, AFIT/GE/ENG/87D-39 ELECTFE r C:’., ~FEB 0 91988 J Approved for public release; distribution unlimited...Electrical Engineering David S. Mabee , B.S. ’- ,. . Captain, USAF December 1987 A o fr p.. ’ Approved for public release; distribution unlimited ,12

Doppler radar echoes of lightning and precipitation at vertical incidence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zrnic, D. S.; Rust, W. D.; Taylor, W. L.

1982-01-01

Digital time series data at 16 heights within two storms were collected at vertical incidence with a 10-cm Doppler radar. On several occasions during data collection, lightning echoes were observed as increased reflectivity on an oscilloscope display. Simultaneously, lightning signals from nearby electric field change antennas were recorded on an analog recorder together with the radar echoes. Reflectivity, mean velocity, and Doppler spectra were examined by means of time series analysis for times during and after lightning discharges. Spectra from locations where lightning occurred show peaks, due to the motion of the lightning channel at the air speed. These peaks are considerably narrower than the ones due to precipitation. Besides indicating the vertical air velocity that can then be used to estimate hydrometeor-size distribution, the lightning spectra provide a convenient means to estimate the radar cross section of the channel. Subsequent to one discharge, we deduce that a rapid change in the orientation of hydrometeors occurred within the resolution volume.

The Vector Electric Field Investigation on the C/NOFS Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, R.; Acuna, M.; Kujawski, J.; Fourre, R.; Uribe, P.; Hunsaker, F.; Rowland, D.; Le, G.; Farrell, W.; Maynard, N.;

Thermal power and heat energy of cloud-to-ground lightning process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Xuejuan; Yuan, Ping; Xue, Simin

2016-07-15

A cloud-to-ground lightning flash with nine return strokes has been recorded using a high speed slitless spectrograph and a system composed of a fast antenna and a slow antenna. Based on the spectral data and the synchronous electric field changes that were caused by the lightning, the electrical conductivity, the channel radii, the resistance per unit length, the peak current, the thermal power at the instant of peak current, and the heat energy per unit length during the first 5 μs in the discharge channel have all been calculated. The results indicate that the channel radii have linear relationships with themore » peak current. The thermal power at the peak current time increases with increasing resistance, but exponential decays with the square of the peak current.« less

The 29 July 1994 Merritt Island, Fl Microburst: A Case Study Intercomparing Kennedy Space Center Three-Dimensional Lightning Data (LDAR) and WSR-88D Radar Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffert, Steven G.; Pearce, Matt L.

1996-01-01

Many researchers have shown that the development and evolution of electrical discharges within convective clouds is fundamentally related to the growth and dynamics of precipitation particles aloft. In the presence of strong updrafts above the freezing level collisions among mixed-phase particles (i.e., hail. ice, supercooled water) promote the necessary charge separation needed to initiate intra-cloud lightning. A precipitation core that descends below the freezing level is often accompanied by a change in the electrical structure of the cloud. Consequently, more Cloud-to-Ground (CG) than Intra-Cloud (IC) lightning flashes appear. Descending precipitation cores can also play a significant role in the evolution of mesoscale features at the surface (e.g., microbursts, downbursts) because of latent heat and mass loading effects of water and ice. For this reason, some believe that lightning and microbursts are fundamentally linked by the presence of ice particles in thunderstorms. Several radar and lightning studies of microburst thunderstorms from COHMEX in 1986 showed that the peak IC lightning systematically occurred ten minutes before the onset of a microburst. In contrast, most CG lightning occurred at the time of the microburst. Many of the preceding studies have been done using high-resolution research radars and experimental lightning detection systems in focused field projects. In addition, these studies could only determine the vertical origin or occurrence of IC lightning, and not a true three-dimensional representation. Currently, the WSR-88D radar system and a real-time, state-of-the-art lightning system (LDAR) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida provide an opportunity to extend these kinds of studies in a more meaningful operational setting.

75 FR 16676 - Airworthiness Standards; Electrical and Electronic System Lightning Protection

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-02

... systems that allow them to operate into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), where lightning... 27 standards that operate in VFR-only operations with electrical or electronic systems installed for... Airworthiness Standards; Electrical and Electronic System Lightning Protection AGENCY: Federal Aviation...

Fulgurites: a rock magnetic study of mineralogical changes caused by lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Begnini, G. S.; Tohver, E.; Schmieder, M.

2013-05-01

Fulgurites are natural glass samples produced by lightning strikes on rock or soil substrates. Instantaneous electrical discharges of 10-200 kA are typical, and the temperatures produced by lightning strikes exceed 1700C, the melting temperature of quartz. Paleomagnetic observations of lightning strikes typically include high intensity remanent magnetizations with highly-variable to random magnetic directions. Alternating field demagnetization is commonly used to remove the overprinting effects of Lightning Induced Remanent Magnetization (LIRM), indicating low coercivities of the magnetic carriers. We conducted a rock magnetic analysis of 15 specimens of natural fulgurite from South Africa including hysteresis and thermoremanent heating and cooling experiments using a Variable Field Translational Balance. The analysed specimens demonstrate two distinct ranges of Curie temperature: 440-600C and 770-778C, suggesting the presence of both iron oxides (likely Fe-rich magnetite) and a reduced iron alloy, likely kamacite. High temperature, highly reduced assemblages have been reported from petrological observations of fulgurites. Our rock magnetic observations of a metallic iron phase in the fulgurite samples from a terrestrial, surficial environment demonstrates a mineralogical resemblance to differentiated, iron-rich meteorites. We suggest that LIRMs in lightning-struck localities may include a chemical remagnetization associated with lightning-induced electrolysis or reduction of iron oxides.

A sensor for vector electric field measurements through a nonlinear anisotropic optical crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbieri, Luca; Gondola, Marco; Potenza, Marco; Villa, Andrea; Malgesini, Roberto

2017-11-01

Electrical applications require the development of electric field sensors that can reproduce vector electric field waveforms with a very large spectral width ranging from 50 Hz to at least 70 MHz. This makes it possible to measure both the normal operation modes of electrical components and abnormal behaviors such as the corona emission and partial discharges. In this work, we aim to develop a fully dielectric sensor capable of measuring two components of the electric field using a wide class of optical crystals including anisotropic ones, whereas most of the efforts in this field have been devoted to isotropic crystals. We report the results of the measurements performed at 50 Hz and with a lightning impulse, to validate the sensor.

Inner ear damage following electric current and lightning injury: a literature review.

PubMed

Modayil, P C; Lloyd, G W; Mallik, A; Bowdler, D A

2014-05-01

Audiovestibular sequelae of electrical injury, due to lightning or electric current, are probably much more common than indicated in literature. The aim of the study was to review the impact of electrical injury on the cochleovestibular system. Studies were identified through Medline, Embase, CINAHL and eMedicine databases. Medical Subject Headings used were 'electrical injury', 'lightning', 'deafness' and 'vertigo'. All prospective and retrospective studies, case series and case reports of patients with cochlear or vestibular damage due to lightning or electrical current injury were included. Studies limited to external and middle ear injuries were excluded. Thirty-five articles met the inclusion criteria. Fifteen reported audiovestibular damage following electric current injury (domestic or industrial); a further 15 reported lightning injuries and five concerned pathophysiology and management. There were no histological studies of electrical current injury to the human audiovestibular system. The commonest acoustic insult after lightning injury is conductive hearing loss secondary to tympanic membrane rupture and the most frequent vestibular symptom is transient vertigo. Electrical current injuries predominantly cause pure sensorineural hearing loss and may significantly increase a patient's lifetime risk of vertigo. Theories for cochleovestibular damage in electrical injury include disruption of inner ear anatomy, electrical conductance, hypoxia, vascular effects and stress response hypothesis. The pathophysiology of cochleovestibular damage following electrical injury is unresolved. The mechanism of injury following lightning strike is likely to be quite different from that following domestic or industrial electrical injury. The formulation of an audiovestibular management protocol for patients who have suffered electrical injuries and systematic reporting of all such events is recommended.

[Lightning strikes and lightning injuries in prehospital emergency medicine. Relevance, results, and practical implications].

PubMed

Hinkelbein, J; Spelten, O; Wetsch, W A

2013-01-01

Up to 32.2% of patients in a burn center suffer from electrical injuries. Of these patients, 2-4% present with lightning injuries. In Germany, approximately 50 people per year are injured by a lightning strike and 3-7 fatally. Typically, people involved in outdoor activities are endangered and affected. A lightning strike usually produces significantly higher energy doses as compared to those in common electrical injuries. Therefore, injury patterns vary significantly. Especially in high voltage injuries and lightning injuries, internal injuries are of special importance. Mortality ranges between 10 and 30% after a lightning strike. Emergency medical treatment is similar to common electrical injuries. Patients with lightning injuries should be transported to a regional or supraregional trauma center. In 15% of all cases multiple people may be injured. Therefore, it is of outstanding importance to create emergency plans and evacuation plans in good time for mass gatherings endangered by possible lightning.

Severe storm electricity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, W. D.; Macgorman, D. R.; Taylor, W.; Arnold, R. T.

1984-01-01

Severe storms and lightning were measured with a NASA U2 and ground based facilities, both fixed base and mobile. Aspects of this program are reported. The following results are presented: (1) ground truth measurements of lightning for comparison with those obtained by the U2. These measurements include flash type identification, electric field changes, optical waveforms, and ground strike location; (2) simultaneous extremely low frequency (ELF) waveforms for cloud to ground (CG) flashes; (3) the CG strike location system (LLP) using a combination of mobile laboratory and television video data are assessed; (4) continued development of analog-to-digital conversion techniques for processing lightning data from the U2, mobile laboratory, and NSSL sensors; (5) completion of an all azimuth TV system for CG ground truth; (6) a preliminary analysis of both IC and CG lightning in a mesocyclone; and (7) the finding of a bimodal peak in altitude lightning activity in some storms in the Great Plains and on the east coast. In the forms on the Great Plains, there was a distinct class of flash what forms the upper mode of the distribution. These flashes are smaller horizontal extent, but occur more frequently than flashes in the lower mode of the distribution.

A Unified Model of Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Stroke

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nag, A.; Rakov, V. A.

2014-12-01

The first stroke in a cloud-to-ground lightning discharge is thought to follow (or be initiated by) the preliminary breakdown process which often produces a train of relatively large microsecond-scale electric field pulses. This process is poorly understood and rarely modeled. Each lightning stroke is composed of a downward leader process and an upward return-stroke process, which are usually modeled separately. We present a unified engineering model for computing the electric field produced by a sequence of preliminary breakdown, stepped leader, and return stroke processes, serving to transport negative charge to ground. We assume that a negatively-charged channel extends downward in a stepped fashion through the relatively-high-field region between the main negative and lower positive charge centers and then through the relatively-low-field region below the lower positive charge center. A relatively-high-field region is also assumed to exist near ground. The preliminary breakdown pulse train is assumed to be generated when the negatively-charged channel interacts with the lower positive charge region. At each step, an equivalent current source is activated at the lower extremity of the channel, resulting in a step current wave that propagates upward along the channel. The leader deposits net negative charge onto the channel. Once the stepped leader attaches to ground (upward connecting leader is presently neglected), an upward-propagating return stroke is initiated, which neutralizes the charge deposited by the leader along the channel. We examine the effect of various model parameters, such as step length and current propagation speed, on model-predicted electric fields. We also compare the computed fields with pertinent measurements available in the literature.

Magnetic field generated by lightning protection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geri, A.; Veca, G. M.

1988-04-01

A lightning protection system for today's civil buildings must be electromagnetically compatible with the electronic equipment present in the building. This paper highlights a mathematic model which analyzes the electromagnetic effects in the environment in which the lightning protection system is. This model is developed by means of finite elements of an electrical circuit where each element is represented by a double pole circuit according to the trapezoidal algorithm developed using the finite difference method. It is thus possible to analyze the electromagnetic phenomena associated with the transient effects created by the lightning stroke even for a high-intensity current. Referring to an elementary system comprised of an air terminal, a down conductor, and a ground terminal, numerical results are here laid out.

A comparison of the optical pulse characteristics of intracloud and cloud-to-ground lightning as observed above clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, Steven J.; Christian, Hugh J.; Rust, W. David

1988-01-01

The optical-pulse characteristics of intracloud (IC) and cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes were investigated. The time-resolved optical waveforms at 777.4 nm and electric-field changes produced by lightning flashes were measured aboard a U2 aircraft flying above clouds at the same time that ground-based lightning measurements were carried out. The pulse shapes and intensities of IC and CG flashes, as viewed from above cloud, were found to exhibit remarkably similar waveshapes, radiances, and radiant energy densities. The median radiance at cloud top was found to be about 0.007 W/sq m per sr, and the median energy density about 0.000003 J/sq m per sr.

Electric fields and current densities under small Florida thunderstorms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deaver, Lance E.; Krider, E. P.

1991-01-01

Results are presented of measurements of the electric field E and Maxwell current density that were performed simultaneously under and near small Florida thunderstorms. It is shown that the amplitude of JM is of the order of 1 nA/sq cm or less in the absence of precipitation and that there are regular time variations in JM during the intervals between lightning discharges that tend to have the same shapes after different discharges in different storms. It is argued that the major causes of time variations in JM between lightning discharges are currents that flow in the finitely conducting atmosphere in response to the field changes rather than rapid time variations in the strength of cloud current sources. The displacement current densities that are computed from the E records dominate JM except when there is precipitation, when E is large and steady, or when E is unusually noisy.

Open Circuit Resonant (SansEC) Sensor Technology for Lightning Mitigation and Damage Detection and Diagnosis for Composite Aircraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szatkowski, George N.; Dudley, Kenneth L.; Smith, Laura J.; Wang, Chuantong; Ticatch, Larry A.

2014-01-01

Traditional methods to protect composite aircraft from lightning strike damage rely on a conductive layer embedded on or within the surface of the aircraft composite skin. This method is effective at preventing major direct effect damage and minimizes indirect effects to aircraft systems from lightning strike attachment, but provides no additional benefit for the added parasitic weight from the conductive layer. When a known lightning strike occurs, the points of attachment and detachment on the aircraft surface are visually inspected and checked for damage by maintenance personnel to ensure continued safe flight operations. A new multi-functional lightning strike protection (LSP) method has been developed to provide aircraft lightning strike protection, damage detection and diagnosis for composite aircraft surfaces. The method incorporates a SansEC sensor array on the aircraft exterior surfaces forming a "Smart skin" surface for aircraft lightning zones certified to withstand strikes up to 100 kiloamperes peak current. SansEC sensors are open-circuit devices comprised of conductive trace spiral patterns sans (without) electrical connections. The SansEC sensor is an electromagnetic resonator having specific resonant parameters (frequency, amplitude, bandwidth & phase) which when electromagnetically coupled with a composite substrate will indicate the electrical impedance of the composite through a change in its resonant response. Any measureable shift in the resonant characteristics can be an indication of damage to the composite caused by a lightning strike or from other means. The SansEC sensor method is intended to diagnose damage for both in-situ health monitoring or ground inspections. In this paper, the theoretical mathematical framework is established for the use of open circuit sensors to perform damage detection and diagnosis on carbon fiber composites. Both computational and experimental analyses were conducted to validate this new method and system for aircraft composite damage detection and diagnosis. Experimental test results on seeded fault damage coupons and computational modeling simulation results are presented. This paper also presents the shielding effectiveness along with the lightning direct effect test results from several different SansEC LSP and baseline protected and unprotected carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) test panels struck at 40 and 100 kiloamperes following a universal common practice test procedure to enable damage comparisons between SansEC LSP configurations and common practice copper mesh LSP approaches. The SansEC test panels were mounted in a LSP test bed during the lightning test. Electrical, mechanical and thermal parameters were measured during lightning attachment and are presented with post test nondestructive inspection comparisons. The paper provides correlational results between the SansEC sensors computed electric field distribution and the location of the lightning attachment on the sensor trace and visual observations showing the SansEC sensor's affinity for dispersing the lightning attachment.

Using an A-10 Aircraft for Airborne Measurements of TGFs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fishman, G. J.; Christian, H. J.; Blakeslee, R. J.; Grove, J.; Chekhtman, A.; Jonsson, H.; Detwiler, A. G.

2012-12-01

Work is underway to modify an A-10 combat attack aircraft to become a research aircraft for thunderstorm research. This aircraft would be configured and instrumented for flights into large, convective thunderstorms. It would have the capabilities of higher altitude performance and protection for thunderstorm conditions that exceed those of aircraft now in use for this research. One area of investigation for this aircraft will be terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs), building on the pioneering observations made by the Airborne Detector for Energetic Lightning Emissions (ADELE) project several years ago. A new and important component of the planned investigations are the continuous, detailed correlations of TGFs with the electric fields near the aircraft, as well as detailed measurements of nearby lightning discharges. Together, the x- and gamma-radiation environments, the electric field measurements, and the lightning observations (all measured on microsecond timescales) should provide new insights into the TGF production mechanism. The A-10 aircraft is currently being modified for thunderstorm research. It is anticipated that the initial test flights for this role will begin next year.

Using an A-10 Aircraft for Airborne measurements of TGFs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fishman, Gerald J.; Christian, Hugh, J.; Blakeslee, Richard J.; Grove, J. Eric; Chektman, Alexandre; Jonsson, Haflidi; Detwiler, Andrew G.

2012-01-01

Plans are underway to convert an A-10 combat attack aircraft into a research aircraft for thunderstorm research. This aircraft would be configured and instrumented for flights into large, convective thunderstorms. It would have the capabilities of higher altitude performance and protection for thunderstorm conditions that exceed those of aircraft now in use for this research. One area of investigation for this aircraft would be terrestrial gamma ]ray flashes (TGFs), building on the pioneering observations made by the Airborne Detector for Energetic Lightning Emissions (ADELE) project several years ago. A new and important component of the planned investigations are the continuous, detailed correlations of TGFs with the electric fields near the aircraft, as well as detailed measurements of nearby lightning discharges. Together, the x-and gamma-radiation environments, the electric field measurements, and the lightning observations (all measured on microsecond timescales) should provide new insights into this TGF production mechanism. The A -10 aircraft is currently being modified for thunderstorm research. It is anticipated that the initial test flights for this role will begin next year.

Lightning Burns and Electrical Trauma in a Couple Simultaneously Struck by Lightning

PubMed Central

Eyerly-Webb, Stephanie A.; Solomon, Rachele; Lee, Seong K.; Sanchez, Rafael; Carrillo, Eddy H.; Davare, Dafney L.; Kiffin, Chauniqua; Rosenthal, Andrew

2017-01-01

More people are struck and killed by lightning each year in Florida than any other state in the United States. This report discusses a couple that was simultaneously struck by lightning while walking arm-in-arm. Both patients presented with characteristic lightning burns and were admitted for hemodynamic monitoring, serum labs, and observation and were subsequently discharged home. Despite the superficial appearance of lightning burns, serious internal electrical injuries are common. Therefore, lightning strike victims should be admitted and evaluated for cardiac arrhythmias, renal injury, and neurological sequelae.

Gravito-electrodynamics, Ehd and Their Applications To Natural Hazards and Laboratory Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kikuchi, H.

For the past two decades, theory of dusty and dirty plasmas in space and in the labo - ratory has been developed on the basis of both unconventional gravito-electrody- nam ics and a new EHD (electrohydrodynamics) with novel concepts of electric re- connection and critical ionization velocity as well as modern concepts of self-organ- ization and chaos and has been applied to explanations of a variety of new dust-re- lated and meteorologyico-electric phenomena such as planetary (Saturn's and Jupi- ter's) dust layer or ring formation, terrestrial dust layer formation, terrestrial light - ning including winter thunderstorms, rocket and tower triggered lightning, planetary (Saturn's, Jupiter's, and Io's) lightning, nebular lightning, ball lightning, tornadic thunderstorms, whirlwinds, cloud-to-ionosphere discharges, pre-earthquake atmo- sphereic and ionospheric effects, and new laboratory devices such as electric undu - lators, a universal electric-cusp type plasma reactor for basic laboratory studies, sim- ulations of atmospheric phenomena and pollution control and gas cleaning, plasma processing and new material production for industrial applications, and new devices such as towards cancer treatment for biological and medical applications. Reference H. Kikuchi, Electrohydrodynamics in Dusty and Dirty plasmas, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht/The Netherlands, 2001. For describing any plasmas, particle dynamics plays always fundamental and impor - tant roles in understanding all of plasma behaviors. A variety of descriptions in a magnetic field such as a guiding center approach have well been developed as a test-particle approach particularly for a base of MHD. This is still true for EHD or EMHD, but additional factors become significant due to the existence of space charges and electric fields for EHD or EMHD in dielectric or semiconducting fluids. In cosmic plasmas, the existence of double layers, electric and magnetic dipoles or quadru-poles often affects the particle motions drastically even if particles are uncharged, and can play a crucial role in planetary dust layer or ring formation. This is a new discov-ery and has been discussed in detail for the past several EGS meetings. In the presenc e of quadrupole-like charged cloud configurations which constitute electric cusps and mirrors, a neutral or uncharged particle can be accelerated in an electric cusp, reaching a maximum speed near a cusp boundary, if the environment is a tenuous gas whatever it may be neutral or ionized, and also can be reflected back at a mirror point. Otherwise, a dust in an electric cusp is capable for a source origin of plasma layer formation, gas discharges or lightnings due to additional effect of `criti-cal velocity' if the local electric fields around the dust produced by quadrupole-like charged clouds are sufficiently high beyond a gas-breakdown threshold. Then electric reconnection through the dust is followed by streamer or leader formation due to the critical ionization effect and consequent gas discharges or lightnings. One of major features of new electrodynamics, gravito-electrodynamics, and EHD is a new addition of two basic concepts of electric reconnection and critical ionization . First, one may recall that a distribution of scattered charged clouds is so ubiquitous in space and in the laboratory, even in our daily life, whatever they are of large-scale or small-scale, like thunderclouds in the atmosphere, charged clouds in interstellar space, charges on the belt of Van de Graff generator, and a system of miniature thunder-clouds produced by frictional electricity almost everywhere, typically on human hairs. All those cases are capable for electric reconnection. Whenever electric reconnection occurs through dusts in the atmosphere, it can be accompanied by a critical ioniza-tion flow . In this way, electric reconnection and critical ionization could be a signifi-cant cause of electrification and electric discharge and play important roles in a varie-ty of phenomena in meteorologico-electric, dusty and dirty plasma environments.

Developing the TRYAD Science Instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Eck, K. T.; Jenke, P.; Briggs, M. S.; Fuchs, J.; Capps, L.

2017-12-01

Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are brief MeV gamma-ray flashes that are associated with thunderstorms, around 12km in altitude, and are viewed by orbiting satellites. These bright flashes of high energy photons were discovered in 1994. The two major models for TGFs that originate in thunderstorms are the Lightning Leader and Relativistic Feedback Discharge (RFD) model. Both depend on energetic electrons radiating via bremsstrahlung emission. The Lightning Leader model theorizes that lightning step leaders can accelerate electrons to relativistic speeds. The RFD model states that an energetic seed particle can be accelerated to relativistic speeds by strong electric fields inside of a thunderstorm. The main difference in the results of the two models is as follows; the Lightning Leader model results in a wider beam of gamma-rays than the RFD model because the electric field of a thunderstorm is more structured than that of lightning. The TRYAD mission will be the first to fly two detectors, inside CubeSats, in formation to detect TGFs from multiple points in the sky. The data from the CubeSats and the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) will likely provide enough insight to constrain or eliminate some of the existing models for TGFs.This summer was spent testing components and constructing the engineering model of the scientific instrument that will be used to detect TGFs. The detector is made up of four lead-doped plastic scintillators which are coupled to arrays of Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM). The signal from the SiPM array is then fed into a discriminator where a lower energy estimate can be determined and photon counts are recorded. I will present the progress made over the summer constructing the engineering model.

Study on the streamer inception characteristics under positive lightning impulse voltage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zezhong; Geng, Yinan

2017-11-01

The streamer is the main process in an air gap discharge, and the inception characteristics of streamers have been widely applied in engineering. Streamer inception characteristics under DC voltage have been studied by many researchers, but the inception characteristics under impulse voltage, and particularly under lightning impulse voltage with a high voltage rise rate have rarely been studied. A measurement system based on integrated optoelectronic technology has been proposed in this paper, and the streamer inception characteristics in a 1-m-long rod-plane air gap that was energized by a positive lightning impulse voltage have been researched. We have also measured the streamer inception electric field using electrodes with different radii of curvature and different voltage rise rates. As a result, a modified empirical criterion for the streamer inception electric field that considers the voltage rise rate has been proposed, and the wide applicability of this criterion has been proved. Based on the streamer inception time-lag obtained, we determined that the field distribution obeys a Rayleigh distribution, which explains the change law of the streamer inception time-lag. The characteristic parameter of the Rayleigh distribution lies in the range from 0.6 to 2.5 when the radius of curvature of the electrode head is in the range from 0.5 cm to 2.5 cm and the voltage rise rate ranges from 80 kV/μs to 240kV/μs under positive lightning impulse voltage.

14 CFR 23.1306 - Electrical and electronic system lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... affected during and after the time the airplane is exposed to lightning; and (2) The system automatically recovers normal operation of that function in a timely manner after the airplane is exposed to lightning... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Electrical and electronic system lightning...

14 CFR 23.1306 - Electrical and electronic system lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... affected during and after the time the airplane is exposed to lightning; and (2) The system automatically recovers normal operation of that function in a timely manner after the airplane is exposed to lightning... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Electrical and electronic system lightning...

14 CFR 29.1316 - Electrical and electronic system lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... after the time the rotorcraft is exposed to lightning; and (2) The system automatically recovers normal operation of that function in a timely manner after the rotorcraft is exposed to lightning. (b) Each... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Electrical and electronic system lightning...

14 CFR 29.1316 - Electrical and electronic system lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... after the time the rotorcraft is exposed to lightning; and (2) The system automatically recovers normal operation of that function in a timely manner after the rotorcraft is exposed to lightning. (b) Each... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Electrical and electronic system lightning...

14 CFR 23.1306 - Electrical and electronic system lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... affected during and after the time the airplane is exposed to lightning; and (2) The system automatically recovers normal operation of that function in a timely manner after the airplane is exposed to lightning... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Electrical and electronic system lightning...

14 CFR 29.1316 - Electrical and electronic system lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... after the time the rotorcraft is exposed to lightning; and (2) The system automatically recovers normal operation of that function in a timely manner after the rotorcraft is exposed to lightning. (b) Each... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Electrical and electronic system lightning...

Remote electrical arc suppression by laser filamentation.

PubMed

Schubert, Elise; Mongin, Denis; Kasparian, Jérôme; Wolf, Jean-Pierre

2015-11-02

We investigate the interaction of narrow plasma channels formed in the filamentation of ultrashort laser pulses, with a DC high voltage. The laser filaments prevent electrical arcs by triggering corona that neutralize the high-voltage electrodes. This phenomenon, that relies on the electric field modulation and free electron release around the filament, opens new prospects to lightning and over-voltage mitigation.

Q-Burst Origins in Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boldi, R.; Hobara, Y.; Yamashita, K.; Hayakawa, M.; Satori, G.; Bor, J.; Lyons, W. A.; Nelson, T.; Russell, B.; Williams, E.

2006-12-01

The generation of electromagnetic transient signatures in the SR frequency range (Q-bursts) from the energetic lightning originating in Africa were intensively studied during the AMMA (African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis) field program centered on Niamey, Niger in 2006. During this wet season many active westward- moving MCSs were observed by the MIT C-band Doppler radar. The MCSs exhibited a gust front, a leading squall line and a large spatially-extended (100-200 km) stratiform region that often passed over the observation site. Many transient events were recorded in association with local lightning both with a slow antenna and a DC electric field mill installed near the radar. During the gust front and squall line traverse, the majority of lightning exhibited normal polarity. A remarkable transition of polarity is observed once the radar site is under the stratiform region and a pronounced radar bright band has had time to develop. The majority of the ground flashes then exhibit a positive polarity (positive ground flash). In particular, very intense positive ground flashes (often topped with spider lightning structure) are registered when the radar "hbright band"h is most strongly developed. These positive flashes exhibit a large DC field change in comparison to ones observed during the earlier squall line passage. Video observations of nighttime events support the existence of the lateral extensive spider lightning. Daytime events exhibit thunder durations of a few minutes. ELF Q-bursts were recorded at MIT's Schumann resonance station in Rhode Island U.S.A. (about 8 Mm distance from Niamey) associated with several large well-established positive ground flashes observed locally near Niamey. The event identification is made by accurate GPS timing and arrival direction of the waves. The onset times of the Q-burst are in good agreement with the electric field measurement near Niamey. The arrival directions of the waves are also in good agreement assuming the lightning source near Niamey. Those Q- bursts were generated when the radar observed the bright band in the stratiform region. Africa stands out among the three tropical chimneys in its production of large and energetic positive ground flashes in several independently produced maps of global lightning activity. Comparison of the morphology of convection in radar field programs in Niamey and in Brazil (LBA Program, 1999) have shown far more squall line activity with accompanying stratiform regions in Africa. A large ratio of positive to negative ground flashes in Africa has been documented by the global mapping of Q-bursts, and is consistent with production of positive lightning in the prevalent stratiform regions behind active squall lines. In contrast, a predominance of large negative ground flashes is observed in the Maritime Continent where many lightning sources are located close to (or over) the ocean, and where vigorous continental-style squall lines are relatively scarce. The global maps from Rhode Island U.S. and Moshiri Japan show similar tendency in the distribution of lightning polarity.

Automated Studies of Continuing Current in Lightning Flashes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Claros, Jose

Continuing current (CC) is a continuous luminosity in the lightning channel that lasts longer than 10 ms following a lightning return stroke to ground. Lightning flashes following CC are associated with direct damage to power lines and are thought to be responsible for causing lightning-induced forest fires. The development of an algorithm that automates continuing current detection by combining NLDN (National Lightning Detection Network) and LEFA (Langmuir Electric Field Array) datasets for CG flashes will be discussed. The algorithm was applied to thousands of cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes within 40 km of Langmuir Lab, New Mexico measured during the 2013 monsoon season. It counts the number of flashes in a single minute of data and the number of return strokes of an individual lightning flash; records the time and location of each return stroke; performs peak analysis on E-field data, and uses the slope of interstroke interval (ISI) E-field data fits to recognize whether continuing current (CC) exists within the interval. Following CC detection, duration and magnitude are measured. The longest observed C in 5588 flashes was 631 ms. The performance of the algorithm (vs. human judgement) was checked on 100 flashes. At best, the reported algorithm is "correct" 80% of the time, where correct means that multiple stations agree with each other and with a human on both the presence and duration of CC. Of the 100 flashes that were validated against human judgement, 62% were hybrid. Automated analysis detects the first but misses the second return stroke in many cases where the second return stroke is followed by long CC. This problem is also present in human interpretation of field change records.

Electric and kinematic structure of the Oklahoma mesoscale convective system of 7 June 1989

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Steven M.; Schur, Terry J.; Marshall, Thomas C.; Rust, W. D.

1992-01-01

Balloon soundings of electric field in Oklahoma mesoscale convective systems (MCS) were obtained by the National Severe Storms Laboratory in the spring of 1989. This study focuses on a sounding made in the rearward edge of an MCS stratiform rain area on 7 June 1989. Data from Doppler radars, a lightning ground-strike location system, satellite, and other sources is used to relate the mesoscale attributes of the MCS to the observed electric-field profile.

The physics of lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwyer, Joseph R.; Uman, Martin A.

2014-01-01

Despite being one of the most familiar and widely recognized natural phenomena, lightning remains relatively poorly understood. Even the most basic questions of how lightning is initiated inside thunderclouds and how it then propagates for many tens of kilometers have only begun to be addressed. In the past, progress was hampered by the unpredictable and transient nature of lightning and the difficulties in making direct measurements inside thunderstorms, but advances in instrumentation, remote sensing methods, and rocket-triggered lightning experiments are now providing new insights into the physics of lightning. Furthermore, the recent discoveries of intense bursts of X-rays and gamma-rays associated with thunderstorms and lightning illustrate that new and interesting physics is still being discovered in our atmosphere. The study of lightning and related phenomena involves the synthesis of many branches of physics, from atmospheric physics to plasma physics to quantum electrodynamics, and provides a plethora of challenging unsolved problems. In this review, we provide an introduction to the physics of lightning with the goal of providing interested researchers a useful resource for starting work in this fascinating field. By what physical mechanism or mechanisms is lightning initiated in the thundercloud? What is the maximum cloud electric field magnitude and over what volume of the cloud? What, if any, high energy processes (runaway electrons, X-rays, gamma rays) are involved in lightning initiation and how? What is the role of various forms of ice and water in lightning initiation? What physical mechanisms govern the propagation of the different types of lightning leaders (negative stepped, first positive, negative dart, negative dart-stepped, negative dart-chaotic) between cloud and ground and the leaders inside the cloud? What is the physical mechanism of leader attachment to elevated objects on the ground and to the flat ground? What are the characteristics of upward connecting leaders from those objects or from the ground? What is the physics of compact intra-cloud discharges (CIDs) (that produce a narrow bipolar wideband electric field pulse, a narrow bipolar event or NBE, apparently multiple-reflecting propagating waves within 1 km height, and copious HF and VHF radiation)? How are CIDs related to other types of preliminary breakdown pulses? Are CIDs related to the Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes (TGFs) observed on orbiting satellites or to the Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) photographed above cloud tops, particularly to so-called “gigantic jets”? By what physical mechanisms do lightning leaders emit pulses of X-rays? Do the X-rays play a role in lightning propagation? By what mechanism do thunderclouds generate relatively-steady internal X-rays? Do X-rays and other high energy radiation affect cloud electrification and play a role in lightning initiation? By what physical mechanisms are Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes (TGFs) produced? Do TGFs pose a hazard to individuals in aircraft? How do cloud-to-ground and intra-cloud lightning affect the upper atmosphere and ionosphere? What are the physics of the Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), “Sprites”, “jets”, and “elves”? What is the energy input into the ionosphere/magnetosphere from lightning? How exactly does rocket-and-wire (“classical” with a grounded wire and “altitude” with a floating wire) triggering of lightning work? Are there other possible and practical triggering techniques such as laser triggering? Can triggering reduce or eliminate the local occurrence of natural lightning? What are the power and energy of the component processes of lightning flashes and how are they distributed among electromagnetic processes (DC to light), thermal processes, mechanical (acoustic) processes, and relativistic (high energy) processes (runaway electrons, runaway positrons, X-ray, and gamma rays)? What is the physics of ball lightning? Is there more than one type of ball lightning? Questions 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 will be addressed directly in the following sections of this paper: Section 3. The Lightning Initiation Problem; Section 4. Lightning Propagation; Section 5. High-Energy Atmospheric Physics; Section 6. CIDs; and Section 7. TLEs.

Towards more Global Coordination of Atmospheric Electricity Measurements (GloCAEM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicoll, Keri; Harrison, Giles

2017-04-01

Earth's atmospheric electrical environment has been studied since the 1750s but its more recent applications to science questions around clouds and climate highlight the incompleteness of our understanding, in part due to lack of suitable global measurements. The Global Electric Circuit (GEC) sustains the near-surface fair weather (FW) electric field, which is present globally in regions which are not strongly electrically disturbed by weather or pollution. It can be measured routinely at the surface using well established instrumentation such as electric field mills. Despite the central role of lightning as a weather hazard and the potentially widespread importance of charge for atmospheric processes, research is hampered by the fragmented nature of surface atmospheric electricity measurements. This makes anything other than local studies in fortuitous fair weather conditions difficult. In contrast to detection of global lightning using satellite measurements and ground-based radio networks, the FW electric field and GEC cannot be measured by remote sensing and no similar measurement networks exist for its study. This presents an opportunity as many researchers worldwide now make high temporal resolution measurements of the FW electric field routinely, which is neither coordinated nor exploited. The GLOCAEM (Global Coordination of Atmospheric Electricity Measurements) project is currently bringing some of these experts together to make the first steps towards an effective global network for FW atmospheric electricity monitoring. A specific objective of the project is to establish the first modern archive of international FW atmospheric electric field data in close to real time to allow global studies of atmospheric electricity to be straightforwardly and robustly performed. Data will be archived through the UK Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA) and will be available for download by users from early 2018. Both 1 second and 1 minute electric field data will be archived, along with meteorological measurements (if available) for ease of interpretation of electrical measurements. Although the primary aim of the project is to provide a close to real time electric field database, archiving of existing historical electric field datasets is also planned to extend the range of studies possible. This presentation will provide a summary of progress with the GLOCAEM project.

Modeling corona sheath dynamics and effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlson, B.; Lehtinen, N. G.

2016-12-01

The conductive lightning channel is only a centimeter or so in diameter, but charge deposited along such a narrow channel produces a large electric field that drives corona discharge in nearby air, carrying the charge outward several meters. The formation of this "corona sheath" affects a wide range of observable properties of lightning, including the overall charge carried by the channel, the shape, speed, and attenuation of impulsive currents, and the possibility of x-ray production. Simplified electrostatic and electrodynamic models of the formation of the sheath will be discussed, with results given including regions near the tip of a hypothetical channel. These results suggest that the sheath initially expands very rapidly, limiting the lifetime of the intense fields nearest the channel. The expansion gradually slows as the fields decrease, but under certain circumstances a large-scale streamer-like process can lead to enhancement of electric fields displaced from the tip of the channel, possibly suggesting a mechanism for space stem formation and leader stepping.

Observations of narrow bipolar events reveal how lightning is initiated in thunderstorms

PubMed Central

Rison, William; Krehbiel, Paul R.; Stock, Michael G.; Edens, Harald E.; Shao, Xuan-Min; Thomas, Ronald J.; Stanley, Mark A.; Zhang, Yang

2016-01-01

A long-standing but fundamental question in lightning studies concerns how lightning is initiated inside storms, given the absence of physical conductors. The issue has revolved around the question of whether the discharges are initiated solely by conventional dielectric breakdown or involve relativistic runaway electron processes. Here we report observations of a relatively unknown type of discharge, called fast positive breakdown, that is the cause of high-power discharges known as narrow bipolar events. The breakdown is found to have a wide range of strengths and is the initiating event of numerous lightning discharges. It appears to be purely dielectric in nature and to consist of a system of positive streamers in a locally intense electric field region. It initiates negative breakdown at the starting location of the streamers, which leads to the ensuing flash. The observations show that many or possibly all lightning flashes are initiated by fast positive breakdown. PMID:26876654

Observations of narrow bipolar events reveal how lightning is initiated in thunderstorms.

PubMed

Rison, William; Krehbiel, Paul R; Stock, Michael G; Edens, Harald E; Shao, Xuan-Min; Thomas, Ronald J; Stanley, Mark A; Zhang, Yang

2016-02-15

A long-standing but fundamental question in lightning studies concerns how lightning is initiated inside storms, given the absence of physical conductors. The issue has revolved around the question of whether the discharges are initiated solely by conventional dielectric breakdown or involve relativistic runaway electron processes. Here we report observations of a relatively unknown type of discharge, called fast positive breakdown, that is the cause of high-power discharges known as narrow bipolar events. The breakdown is found to have a wide range of strengths and is the initiating event of numerous lightning discharges. It appears to be purely dielectric in nature and to consist of a system of positive streamers in a locally intense electric field region. It initiates negative breakdown at the starting location of the streamers, which leads to the ensuing flash. The observations show that many or possibly all lightning flashes are initiated by fast positive breakdown.

Protection against lightning at a geomagnetic observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Čop, R.; Milev, G.; Deželjin, D.; Kosmač, J.

2014-08-01

The Sinji Vrh Geomagnetic Observatory was built on the brow of Gora, the mountain above Ajdovščina, which is a part of Trnovo plateau, and all over Europe one can hardly find an area which is more often struck by lightning than this southwestern part of Slovenia. When the humid air masses of a storm front hit the edge of Gora, they rise up more than 1000 m in a very short time, and this causes an additional electrical charge of stormy clouds. The reliability of operations performed in every section of the observatory could be increased by understanding the formation of lightning in a thunderstorm cloud and the application of already-proven methods of protection against a stroke of lightning and against its secondary effects. To reach this goal the following groups of experts have to cooperate: experts in the field of protection against lightning, constructors and manufacturers of equipment and observatory managers.

Electron kinetic effects in atmosphere breakdown by an intense electromagnetic pulse.

PubMed

Solovyev, A A; Terekhin, V A; Tikhonchuk, V T; Altgilbers, L L

1999-12-01

A physical model is proposed for description of electron kinetics driven by a powerful electromagnetic pulse in the Earth's atmosphere. The model is based on a numerical solution to the Boltzmann kinetic equation for two groups of electrons. Slow electrons (with energies below a few keV) are described in a two-term approximation assuming a weak anisotropy of the electron distribution function. Fast electrons (with energies above a few keV) are described by a modified macroparticle method, taking into account the electron acceleration in the electric field, energy losses in the continuous deceleration approximation, and the multiple pitch angle scattering. The model is applied to a problem of the electric discharge in a nitrogen, which is preionized by an external gamma-ray source. It is shown that the runaway electrons have an important effect on the energy distribution of free electrons, and on the avalanche ionization rate. This mechanism might explain the observation of multiple lightning discharges observed in the Ivy-Mike thermonuclear test in the early 1950's.

Modern Protection Against Lightning Strikes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, C.

2005-05-01

The application of science to provide protection against lightning strikes began around 1750 when Benjamin Franklin who invented the lightning rod in an effort to discharge thunderclouds. Instead of preventing lightning as he expected, his rods have been quite successful as strike receptors, intercepting cloud-to ground discharges and conducting them to Earth without damage to the structures on which they are mounted. In the years since Franklin's invention there has been little attention paid to the rod configuration that best serves as a strike receptor but Franklin's original ideas continue to be rediscovered and promoted. Recent measurements of the responses of variously configured rods to nearby strikes indicate that sharp-tipped rods are not the optimum configuration to serve as strike receptors since the ionization of the air around their tips limits the strength of the local electric fields created by an approaching lightning leader. In these experiments, fourteen blunt-tipped rods exposed in strike-reception competitions with nearby sharp-tipped rods were struck by lightning but none of the sharp-tipped rods were struck.

KSC00pp0884

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

Attached to the wing of a Cessna Citation aircraft are cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is also equipped with field mills, used to measure electric fields. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information about the study can be found in Release No. 56-00

KSC00pp0885

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

Attached to the wing of a Cessna Citation aircraft are cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is also equipped with field mills, used to measure electric fields. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information about the study can be found in Release No. 56-00

KSC-00pp0885

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

Attached to the wing of a Cessna Citation aircraft are cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is also equipped with field mills, used to measure electric fields. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information about the study can be found in Release No. 56-00

KSC-00pp0884

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

Attached to the wing of a Cessna Citation aircraft are cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is also equipped with field mills, used to measure electric fields. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information about the study can be found in Release No. 56-00

Sferics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pierce, E. T.

1969-01-01

The properties of sferics (the electric and magnetic fields generated by electrified clouds and lightning flashes) are briefly surveyed; the source disturbance and the influence of propagation being examined. Methods of observing sferics and their meteorological implications are discussed. It is concluded that close observations of electrostatic and radiation fields are very informative, respectively, upon the charge distribution and spark processes in a cloud; that ground-level sferics stations can accurately locate the positions of individual lightning flashes and furnish valuable knowledge on the properties of the discharges; but that satellite measurements only provide general information on the level of thundery activity over large geographical regions.

Analysis and calculation of lightning-induced voltages in aircraft electrical circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plumer, J. A.

1974-01-01

Techniques to calculate the transfer functions relating lightning-induced voltages in aircraft electrical circuits to aircraft physical characteristics and lightning current parameters are discussed. The analytical work was carried out concurrently with an experimental program of measurements of lightning-induced voltages in the electrical circuits of an F89-J aircraft. A computer program, ETCAL, developed earlier to calculate resistive and inductive transfer functions is refined to account for skin effect, providing results more valid over a wider range of lightning waveshapes than formerly possible. A computer program, WING, is derived to calculate the resistive and inductive transfer functions between a basic aircraft wing and a circuit conductor inside it. Good agreement is obtained between transfer inductances calculated by WING and those reduced from measured data by ETCAL. This computer program shows promise of expansion to permit eventual calculation of potential lightning-induced voltages in electrical circuits of complete aircraft in the design stage.

Optical Detection of Lightning from Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boccippio, Dennis J.; Christian, Hugh J.

1998-01-01

Optical sensors have been developed to detect lightning from space during both day and night. These sensors have been fielded in two existing satellite missions and may be included on a third mission in 2002. Satellite-hosted, optically-based lightning detection offers three unique capabilities: (1) the ability to reliably detect lightning over large, often remote, spatial regions, (2) the ability to sample all (IC and CG) lightning, and (3) the ability to detect lightning with uniform (i.e., not range-dependent) sensitivity or detection efficiency. These represent significant departures from conventional RF-based detection techniques, which typically have strong range dependencies (biases) or range limitations in their detection capabilities. The atmospheric electricity team of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Global Hydrology and Climate Center has implemented a three-step satellite lightning research program which includes three phases: proof-of-concept/climatology, science algorithm development, and operational application. The first instrument in the program, the Optical Transient Detector (OTD), is deployed on a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite with near-polar inclination, yielding global coverage. The sensor has a 1300 x 1300 sq km field of view (FOV), moderate detection efficiency, moderate localization accuracy, and little data bias. The OTD is a proof-of-concept instrument and its mission is primarily a global lightning climatology. The limited spatial accuracy of this instrument makes it suboptimal for use in case studies, although significant science knowledge has been gained from the instrument as deployed.

Preliminary Results From a Laboratory Study of Positive Streamer Discharges on Simulated Ice Hydrometeors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petersen, D.; Bailey, M.; Hallett, J.; Beasley, W.

2007-12-01

The initiation of lightning remains an open question, due in large part to a deficit of in-situ observational evidence. Recent theoretical descriptions of lightning initiation have focused on runaway breakdown and related secondary processes, but have not convincingly explained the details of onset of the embryonic lightning leader channel. Among possible mechanisms contributing to the initial leader formation are positive streamer discharges from ice hydrometeors, themselves once favored as the primary explanation of lightning initiation. We present preliminary results from a new laboratory study of positive streamer discharges on simulated ice hydrometeors. Emphasis is given to precisely defining the minimum electric field strength required for onset of positive streamer generation, with variables of interest being ice crystal size, habit and environmental temperature.

Lightning activity and radar observations of the multicell thunderstorm system passing over Swider Observatory (Poland) on 19 July 2015 and its dynamic and electric charge structure obtained from the WRF_ELEC model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubicki, Marek; Konarski, Jerzy; Gajda, Wojciech; Barański, Piotr; Guzikowski, Jakub; Kryza, Maciej

2017-04-01

In this work we present preliminary results on the thunderstorm event at IG PAS Swider Geophysical Observatory (52.12°N, 21.25°E, geomagnetic latitude 50.5°N, near Warsaw, Poland) on 19 July 2015. The storm was caused by the abrasion of the warm front that stretched almost latitudinaly and cold front moving from the west to the east. Warm continental-tropical arrived at southern and eastern part of the country and the rest was covered by cool polar-maritime airmass. The storm had the squall-line character of approximately 100 km length and consisted of several cells, and the height of the cumulonimbus (Cb) cloud base was 1 km and top was 14 km, as inferred from the analysis of CAPPI (Constant Altitude Plan Position Indicator), CMAX (Column Maximum Display), MLVCUT (Multiple-Line Vertical Cut) radar map products from POLRAD observations at Institute of Meteorology and Water Management - National Research Institute (IMWM-NRI), Legionowo station. In our paper we have discussed the obtained results of the post-time analysis of lightning activity and radar observations of the extended multicells thunderstorm system passing over IG PAS Swider Geophysical Observatory, on 19 July 2015 together with its dynamic and electric charge structure obtained from the WRF_ELEC model. We have used the archive data from the Polish National Lightning Location and Detection System PERUN (provided by IMWM-NRI) together with radar data obtained from the Doppler meteorological radar METEOR 1500C at Legionowo. Additionally, during the approach, passing over and moving away phase of the thunderstorm system, we have gathered the simultaneous and continuous recordings of E-field, the electric conductivity of air and the independent supplementary reference lightning detections delivered by the Swider measuring station of the Local Lightning Detection Network (LLDN) operated in Warsaw region. These data have given us a new possibility to acquire many valuable information about the characteristic type of the particular lightning flashes that were initiated by different adjacent thunderstorm cells developed in this time. On the other hand, the recorded E-field signatures of the lightning strokes by the LLDN measuring station have enabled us to differentiate between the variety of their types indicating the complex electric charge structure of the particular thunderstorm cells which developed in this storm system. Moreover, on the base of the supplementary numerical simulations of the considered thunderstorm episode by applying the WRF_ELEC model to the post-time analysis we were able to obtain the more detailed picture with more thermodynamic parameters not only about the specific electric charge structure of the considered thunderstorm cells, and how their thermodynamic pattern created the suitable conditions to initiate the observed lightning stroke types. Atmospheric electricity observations at Swider have been supported within the statutory activities of Institute of Geophysics, PAS, grant No. 3841/E-41/S/2016 and 3841/E-41/S/2017 of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland.

Acoustic Network Localization and Interpretation of Infrasonic Pulses from Lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arechiga, R. O.; Johnson, J. B.; Badillo, E.; Michnovicz, J. C.; Thomas, R. J.; Edens, H. E.; Rison, W.

2011-12-01

We improve on the localization accuracy of thunder sources and identify infrasonic pulses that are correlated across a network of acoustic arrays. We attribute these pulses to electrostatic charge relaxation (collapse of the electric field) and attempt to model their spatial extent and acoustic source strength. Toward this objective we have developed a single audio range (20-15,000 Hz) acoustic array and a 4-station network of broadband (0.01-500 Hz) microphone arrays with aperture of ~45 m. The network has an aperture of 1700 m and was installed during the summers of 2009-2011 in the Magdalena mountains of New Mexico, an area that is subject to frequent lightning activity. We are exploring a new technique based on inverse theory that integrates information from the audio range and the network of broadband acoustic arrays to locate thunder sources more accurately than can be achieved with a single array. We evaluate the performance of the technique by comparing the location of thunder sources with RF sources located by the lightning mapping array (LMA) of Langmuir Laboratory at New Mexico Tech. We will show results of this technique for lightning flashes that occurred in the vicinity of our network of acoustic arrays and over the LMA. We will use acoustic network detection of infrasonic pulses together with LMA data and electric field measurements to estimate the spatial distribution of the charge (within the cloud) that is used to produce a lightning flash, and will try to quantify volumetric charges (charge magnitude) within clouds.

Determination and representation of electric charge distributions associated with adverse weather conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rompala, John T.

1992-01-01

Algorithms are presented for determining the size and location of electric charges which model storm systems and lightning strikes. The analysis utilizes readings from a grid of ground level field mills and geometric constraints on parameters to arrive at a representative set of charges. This set is used to generate three dimensional graphical depictions of the set as well as contour maps of the ground level electrical environment over the grid. The composite, analytic and graphic package is demonstrated and evaluated using controlled input data and archived data from a storm system. The results demonstrate the packages utility as: an operational tool in appraising adverse weather conditions; a research tool in studies of topics such as storm structure, storm dynamics, and lightning; and a tool in designing and evaluating grid systems.

The microphysics of ash tribocharging: New insights from laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshua, M. S.; Dufek, J.

2014-12-01

The spectacular lightning strokes observed during eruptions testify to the enormous potentials that can be generated within plumes. Related to the charging of individual ash particles, large electric fields and volcanic lightning have been observed at Eyjafjallajokull, Redoubt, and Sakurajima, among other volcanoes. A number of mechanisms have been proposed for plume electrification, including charging from the brittle failure of rock, charging due to phase change as material is carried aloft, and triboelectric charging, also known as contact charging. While the first two mechanisms (fracto-emission and volatile charging) have been described by other authors (James et al, 2000 and McNutt et al., 2010, respectively), the physics of tribocharging--charging related to the collisions of particles--of ash are still relatively unknown. Because the electric fields and lightning present in volcanic clouds result from the multiphase dynamics of the plume itself, understanding the electrodynamics of these systems may provide a way to detect eruptions and probe the interior of plumes remotely. In the present work, we describe two sets of experiments designed to explore what controls the exchange of charge during particle collisions. We employ natural material from Colima, Mt. Saint Helens, and Tungurahua. Our experiments show that the magnitude and temporal behavior of ash charging depend on a number of factors, including particle size, shape, chemistry, and collisional energy. The first set of experiments were designed to determine the time-dependent electrostatic behavior of a parcel of ash. These experiments consist of fluidizing an ash bed and monitoring the current induced in a set of ring electrodes. As such, we are able to extract charging rates for ash samples driven by different flow rates. The second experimental setup allows us to measure how much charge is exchanged during a single particle-particle collision. Capable of measuring charges as small as 1 fC, this device allows us to methodically to characterize charges on particles with diameters down to 100 microns. Employing this instrument, we quantify the effect of particle pre-charging, mineralogy, and impact energy on the charge exchange between two colliding particles.

KSC-00pp0892

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, a specially equipped Cessna Citation aircraft flies over the runway to calibrate the Cesna's field mills with field mills on the ground (on the tripod at left) and on the car parked nearby (at center). Field mills measure electric fields. The aircraft is also equipped with cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.

KSC00pp0892

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, a specially equipped Cessna Citation aircraft flies over the runway to calibrate the Cesna's field mills with field mills on the ground (on the tripod at left) and on the car parked nearby (at center). Field mills measure electric fields. The aircraft is also equipped with cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.

A Brief 30-Year Review: Research Highlights from Lightning Mapping Systems 1970-2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacGorman, D. R.

2016-12-01

Modern lightning mapping began in the 1970s, the decade in which VHF mapping systems, acoustic mapping systems, and ground strike locating systems were introduced. Adding GPS synchronization of VHF systems in the late 1990s enabled real-time VHF mapping systems to be deployed more extensively. Data these systems provided by 2000 revolutionized our understanding of how storms produce lightning. Among key results: Electrostatics, not electrodynamics, governs where lightning is initiated and where it propagates, contrary to early expectations. Lightning is initiated in a region of large electric field magnitude, typically between a positive charge region and a negative charge region. The geometry of a storm's charge regions governs the spatial extent of each end of the flash. The flash initially propagates bidirectionally toward the two charge regions that initiated it, and once it reaches the charge regions and maximizes the ambient potential difference spanned by the flash structure, it extends through each charge region's ambient electric potential well until the total electric field magnitude at the ends of the flash drops below the threshold for continued propagation. The typical charge distribution producing a cloud-to-ground flash is a region of charge of the polarity being lowered to ground, above a lesser amount of charge of the opposite polarity; the lower region has too little charge to capture the downward propagating channel. Contrary to previous understanding, naturally occurring cloud-to-ground lightning often lowers positive charge to ground, instead of the usual negative charge, in several situations, including winter storms, stratiform precipitation regions, some severe storms, and storms on the High Plains of the United States. The reason cloud-to-ground activity in some storms is dominated by flashes that lower positive charge to ground is that the polarity of the main charge regions in those storms is inverted from the usual polarity, with the main mid-level charge being positive and the main upper-level charge being negative. This strongly implies that the dominant non-inductive electrification mechanism is inverted in those storms, probably because the liquid water content in the mixed phase region is larger than in most storms.

High-altitude electrical discharges associated with thunderstorms and lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ningyu; McHarg, Matthew G.; Stenbaek-Nielsen, Hans C.

2015-12-01

The purpose of this paper is to introduce electrical discharge phenomena known as transient luminous events above thunderstorms to the lightning protection community. Transient luminous events include the upward electrical discharges from thunderstorms known as starters, jets, and gigantic jets, and electrical discharges initiated in the lower ionosphere such as sprites, halos, and elves. We give an overview of these phenomena with a focus on starters, jets, gigantic jets, and sprites, because similar to ordinary lightning, streamers and leaders are basic components of these four types of transient luminous events. We present a few recent observations to illustrate their main properties and briefly review the theories. The research in transient luminous events has not only advanced our understanding of the effects of thunderstorms and lightning in the middle and upper atmosphere, but also improved our knowledge of basic electrical discharge processes critical for sparks and lightning.

Voltage Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

Under a Lewis Research Center Small Business Innovation Research contract, SRICO, Inc. developed a fiber optic voltage sensor to measure voltage in electronic systems in spacecraft. The sensor uses glass and light to sense and transmit electricity, and is relatively safe and accurate. SRICO then commercialized the sensor for measurement of electric field and voltage in applications such as electric power systems and hazardous environments, lightning detection, and fiber optic communication systems.

Summary report of the Lightning and Static Electricity Committee

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plumer, J. A.

1979-01-01

Lightning protection technology as applied to aviation and identifying these technology needs are presented. The flight areas of technical needs include; (1) the need for In-Flight data on lightning electrical parameters; (2) technology base and guidelines for protection of advanced systems and structures; (3) improved laboratory test techniques; (4) analysis techniques for predicting induced effects; (5) lightning strike incident data from General Aviation; (6) lightning detection systems; (7) obtain pilot reports of lightning strikes; and (8) better training in lightning awareness. The nature of each problem, timeliness, impact of solutions, degree of effort required, and the roles of government and industry in achieving solutions are discussed.

Lightning Return-Stroke Current Waveforms Aloft, From Measured Field Change, Current, and Channel Geometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willett, J. C.; LeVine, D. M.

2002-01-01

Direct current measurements are available near the attachment point from both natural cloud-to-ground lightning and rocket-triggered lightning, but little is known about the rise time and peak amplitude of return-stroke currents aloft. We present, as functions of height, current amplitudes, rise times, and effective propagation velocities that have been estimated with a novel remote-sensing technique from data on 24 subsequent return strokes in six different lightning flashes that were triggering at the NASA Kennedy Space Center, FL, during 1987. The unique feature of this data set is the stereo pairs of still photographs, from which three-dimensional channel geometries were determined previously. This has permitted us to calculate the fine structure of the electric-field-change (E) waveforms produced by these strokes, using the current waveforms measured at the channel base together with physically reasonable assumptions about the current distributions aloft. The computed waveforms have been compared with observed E waveforms from the same strokes, and our assumptions have been adjusted to maximize agreement. In spite of the non-uniqueness of solutions derived by this technique, several conclusions seem inescapable: 1) The effective propagation speed of the current up the channel is usually significantly (but not unreasonably) faster than the two-dimensional velocity measured by a streak camera for 14 of these strokes. 2) Given the deduced propagation speed, the peak amplitude of the current waveform often must decrease dramatically with height to prevent the electric field from being over-predicted. 3) The rise time of the current wave front must always increase rapidly with height in order to keep the fine structure of the calculated field consistent with the observations.

Aircraft Lightning Electromagnetic Environment Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ely, Jay J.; Nguyen, Truong X.; Szatkowski, George N.

2011-01-01

This paper outlines a NASA project plan for demonstrating a prototype lightning strike measurement system that is suitable for installation onto research aircraft that already operate in thunderstorms. This work builds upon past data from the NASA F106, FAA CV-580, and Transall C-180 flight projects, SAE ARP5412, and the European ILDAS Program. The primary focus is to capture airframe current waveforms during attachment, but may also consider pre and post-attachment current, electric field, and radiated field phenomena. New sensor technologies are being developed for this system, including a fiber-optic Faraday polarization sensor that measures lightning current waveforms from DC to over several Megahertz, and has dynamic range covering hundreds-of-volts to tens-of-thousands-of-volts. A study of the electromagnetic emission spectrum of lightning (including radio wave, microwave, optical, X-Rays and Gamma-Rays), and a compilation of aircraft transfer-function data (including composite aircraft) are included, to aid in the development of other new lightning environment sensors, their placement on-board research aircraft, and triggering of the onboard instrumentation system. The instrumentation system will leverage recent advances in high-speed, high dynamic range, deep memory data acquisition equipment, and fiber-optic interconnect.

Comparison between field mill and corona point instrumentation at Kennedy Space Center - Use of these data with a model to determine cloudbase electric fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markson, R.; Anderson, B.; Govaert, J.; Fairall, C. W.

1989-01-01

A novel coronal current-determining instrument is being used at NASA-KSC which overcomes previous difficulties with wind sensitivity and a voltage-threshold 'deadband'. The mounting of the corona needle at an elevated location reduces coronal and electrode layer space-charge influences on electric fields, rendering the measurement of space charge density possible. In conjunction with a space-charge compensation model, these features allow a more realistic estimation of cloud base electric fields and the potential for lightning strike than has previously been possible with ground-based sensors.

A stepped leader model for lightning including charge distribution in branched channels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shi, Wei; Zhang, Li; Li, Qingmin, E-mail: lqmeee@ncepu.edu.cn

2014-09-14

The stepped leader process in negative cloud-to-ground lightning plays a vital role in lightning protection analysis. As lightning discharge usually presents significant branched or tortuous channels, the charge distribution along the branched channels and the stochastic feature of stepped leader propagation were investigated in this paper. The charge density along the leader channel and the charge in the leader tip for each lightning branch were approximated by introducing branch correlation coefficients. In combination with geometric characteristics of natural lightning discharge, a stochastic stepped leader propagation model was presented based on the fractal theory. By comparing simulation results with the statisticsmore » of natural lightning discharges, it was found that the fractal dimension of lightning trajectory in simulation was in the range of that observed in nature and the calculation results of electric field at ground level were in good agreement with the measurements of a negative flash, which shows the validity of this proposed model. Furthermore, a new equation to estimate the lightning striking distance to flat ground was suggested based on the present model. The striking distance obtained by this new equation is smaller than the value estimated by previous equations, which indicates that the traditional equations may somewhat overestimate the attractive effect of the ground.« less

The 1991 International Aerospace and Ground Conference on Lightning and Static Electricity, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The proceedings of the conference are reported. The conference focussed on lightning protection, detection, and forecasting. The conference was divided into 26 sessions based on research in lightning, static electricity, modeling, and mapping. These sessions spanned the spectrum from basic science to engineering, concentrating on lightning prediction and detection and on safety for ground facilities, aircraft, and aerospace vehicles.

Initial Results from the Vector Electric Field Investigation on the C/NOFS Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, R.; Rowland, D.; Acuna, M.; Le, G.; Farrell, W.; Holzworth, R.; Wilson, G.; Burke, W.; Freudenreich, H.; Bromund, K.;

Determining Polarities Of Distant Lightning Strokes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blakeslee, Richard J.; Brook, Marx

1990-01-01

Method for determining polarities of lightning strokes more than 400 km away. Two features of signal from each stroke correlated. New method based on fact each stroke observed thus far for which polarity determined unambiguously, initial polarity of tail same as polarity of initial deflection before initial-deflection signal altered by propagation effects. Receiving station equipped with electric-field-change antenna coupled to charge amplifier having time constant of order of 1 to 10 seconds. Output of amplifier fed to signal-processing circuitry, which determines initial polarity of tail.

Lightning Detection and Ranging system LDAR system description and performance objectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poehler, H. A.; Lennon, C. L.

1979-01-01

The instruments used at the six remote stations to measure both the time-of-arrival of the envelope of the pulsed 60 MHz to 80 MHz portion of the RF signal emitted by lightning, and the electric field waveforms are described as well as the two methods of transmitting the signal to the central station. Other topics discussed include data processing, recording, and reduction techniques and the software used for the 2100S, 2114, and 2116 computers.

Measurement and modeling of transfer functions for lightning coupling into the Sago mine.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morris, Marvin E.; Higgins, Matthew B.

2007-04-01

This report documents measurements and analytical modeling of electromagnetic transfer functions to quantify the ability of cloud-to-ground lightning strokes (including horizontal arc-channel components) to couple electromagnetic energy into the Sago mine located near Buckhannon, WV. Two coupling mechanisms were measured: direct and indirect drive. These transfer functions are then used to predict electric fields within the mine and induced voltages on conductors that were left abandoned in the sealed area of the Sago mine.

Lightning protection using energized Franklin rods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abdel-Salam, M.; Al-Abdul-Latif, U.

1995-12-31

In this paper, the onset criterion of the upward streamers from an energized Franklin rod is formulated as a function of the geometry of the rod and the height and current of the downward leader. The electric field in the vicinity of the lightning rod is calculated using the charge simulation technique. The dependency of the radius of protection on the amplitude of the pulse voltage applied to Franklin rod, the downward leader current and the tip radius and height of the rod is investigated.

Characterizing charge centroids from lightning using a slow antenna network and the Levenberg-Marquardt inverse method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapierre, J. L.; Sonnenfeld, R. G.; Hager, W. W.; Morris, K.

2011-12-01

Researchers have long studied the copious and complex electric field waveforms caused by lightning. By combining electric-field measurements taken at many different locations on the ground simultaneously [Krehbiel et al., 1979], we hope to learn more about charge sources for lightning flashes. The Langmuir Electric Field Array (LEFA) is a network of nine field-change measurement stations (slow-antennas) arranged around Langmuir Laboratory near Magdalena, New Mexico. Using a mathematical method called the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) method, we can invert the electric field data to determine the magnitude and position of the charge centroid removed from the cloud. We analyzed three return strokes (RS) following a dart-leader from a storm occurring on October 21st 2011. RS 'A' occurred at 07:17:00.63 UT. The altitude of the charge centroid was estimated to be 5 km via LMA data. Because the LM method requires a prediction, the code was run with a wide range of values to verify the robustness of the method. Predictions varied from ±3 C for the charge magnitude and ±20 km N-S and E-W for the position (with the coordinate origin being the Langmuir Laboratory Annex). The LM method converged to a charge magnitude of -5.5 C and a centroid position of 3.3 km E-W and 12 km, N-S for that RS. RS 'B' occurred at 07:20:05.9 UT. With an altitude of 4 km, the predictions were again varied; ±3 C, ±15 km N-S and E-W. Most runs converged to -27.5 C, 4 km E-W, and 10.9 km N-S. Finally, while results seem best for events right over the array, success was had locating more distant events. RS 'C' occurred at 02:42:46.8 UT. Assuming an altitude of 5 km and varying the predictions as with RS 'A', the results converged to -9.2 C, 35.5 km E-W, and 9 km N-S. All of these results are broadly consistent with the LMA and the NLDN. By continuing this type of analysis, we hope to learn more about how lightning channels propagate and how the charges in the cloud respond to the sudden change in charge distribution after a CG flash. Reference Krehbiel, P.R., M. Brook, and R. A. McCrory (1979), An analysis of the charge structure of lightning discharges to ground, J. Geophys. Res., 84(C5), 2432-2456. We gratefully acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation Grant No. 0724771.

The optical and radiation field signatures produced by lightning return strokes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guo, C.; Krider, E. P.

1982-01-01

Typical examples of the signals that are produced by first and subsequent return strokes in cloud-to-ground lightning on a microsecond time scale are presented. Statistics on the structure of the waveforms and the radiance of the channels are given. The relationship between the light signals and the associated electric field signatures is discussed. It is shown that the initial light signal from a return stroke tends to be linear for about 15 microsec and then rises more slowly to a peak that is delayed by approximately 60 microsec from the electric field peak. It is thought that the transition between the fast linear portion and the slower rise may be due to the return stroke entering the cloud base. A small percentage of the records suggest that two different branches of the same stepped leader can initiate separate return strokes. The light pulses from cloud discharges tend to be smaller and to vary more slowly than those from return strokes.

A survey of laser lightning rod techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, Arnold A., Jr.; Berthel, Robert O.

1991-01-01

The work done to create a laser lightning rod (LLR) is discussed. Some ongoing research which has the potential for achieving an operational laser lightning rod for use in the protection of missile launch sites, launch vehicles, and other property is discussed. Because of the ease with which a laser beam can be steered into any cloud overhead, an LLR could be used to ascertain if there exists enough charge in the clouds to discharge to the ground as triggered lightning. This leads to the possibility of using LLRs to test clouds prior to launching missiles through the clouds or prior to flying aircraft through the clouds. LLRs could also be used to probe and discharge clouds before or during any hazardous ground operations. Thus, an operational LLR may be able to both detect such sub-critical electrical fields and effectively neutralize them.

Review of Article, A Case for Submicrosecond Rise-Time Lightning Current Pulses for Use in Aircraft Induced-Coupling Studies, by D. W. Clifford, E. P. Krider and M. A. Uman

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cabayan, H.S.; Zicker, J.D.

The amplitudes of currents due to lightning are considerably larger than NEMP induced currents both in the time and frequency domains. The more important quantity for aperture illumination is the rate of rise of the current. The analysis performed for this in this memorandum is unsatisfactory since the artificial double exponential model was used. Still, the lightning rate of rise is only twice as high as that due to NEMP even when the absolute worst (or presently known) lightning pulse is used. A much better way to do this comparison is to use an actual LEMP data and NEMP frommore » an actual weapon. Furthermore, because of lack of data, no electric field analysis was undertaken.« less

On the VHF Source Retrieval Errors Associated with Lightning Mapping Arrays (LMAs)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koshak, W.

2016-01-01

This presentation examines in detail the standard retrieval method: that of retrieving the (x, y, z, t) parameters of a lightning VHF point source from multiple ground-based Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) time-of-arrival (TOA) observations. The solution is found by minimizing a chi-squared function via the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. The associated forward problem is examined to illustrate the importance of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Monte Carlo simulated retrievals are used to assess the benefits of changing various LMA network properties. A generalized retrieval method is also introduced that, in addition to TOA data, uses LMA electric field amplitude measurements to retrieve a transient VHF dipole moment source.

Severe storm electricity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, W. D.; Macgorman, D. R.

1985-01-01

During FY-85, Researchers conducted a field program and analyzed data. The field program incorporated coordinated measurements made with a NASA U2. Results include the following: (1) ground truth measurements of lightning for comparison with those obtained by the U2; (2) analysis of dual-Doppler radar and dual-VHF lightning mapping data from a supercell storm; (3) analysis of synoptic conditions during three simultaneous storm systems on 13 May 1983 when unusually large numbers of positive cloud-to-ground (+CG) flashes occurred; (4) analysis of extremely low frequency (ELF) wave forms; and (5) an assessment of a cloud -ground strike location system using a combination of mobile laboratory and fixed-base TV video data.

KSC00pp0890

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

A specially equipped Cessna Citation aircraft flies over KSC during a calibration test of field mills used to measure electric fields. The aircraft is also equipped with cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information on this study can be found in Release No. 56-00

KSC-00pp0890

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

A specially equipped Cessna Citation aircraft flies over KSC during a calibration test of field mills used to measure electric fields. The aircraft is also equipped with cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information on this study can be found in Release No. 56-00

Lightning Damage of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Laminates with Interlayers Modified by Nickel-Coated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Qi; Wan, Guoshun; Xu, Yongzheng; Guo, Yunli; Du, Tianxiang; Yi, Xiaosu; Jia, Yuxi

2017-12-01

The numerical model of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates with electrically modified interlayers subjected to lightning strike is constructed through finite element simulation, in which both intra-laminar and inter-laminar lightning damages are considered by means of coupled electrical-thermal-pyrolytic analysis method. Then the lightning damage extents including the damage volume and maximum damage depth are investigated. The results reveal that the simulated lightning damages could be qualitatively compared to the experimental counterparts of CFRP laminates with interlayers modified by nickel-coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Ni-MWCNTs). With higher electrical conductivity of modified interlayer and more amount of modified interlayers, both damage volume and maximum damage depth are reduced. This work provides an effective guidance to the anti-lightning optimization of CFRP laminates.

Proposal of New Triggered Lightning Launch Commit Criteria for Japan's Safety Rocket Launch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Yasuhiro; Saito, Toshiya; Okita, Koichi

2013-09-01

Triggered lightning for rocket launch can cause the failure.The current Japanese criteria to postpone the launch opportunity is the thickness of cloud 1.8km with 0 -20 degrees Celsius. Of all H2A launches during these ten years, slipping launches have occurred over half of its flights. So, we have initiated a research on Triggered Lightning Launch Commit Criteria, two years ago.We present the overall activities with the observation campaign (RAIJIN*) in Feb/2012 and Jan-Feb/2013, by means of air-born field mill with airplane, X-band dual polarization radar, ground based field mill and Videosonde. Also, the analytical results and proposal of the new criteria will be shown.*) Raijin is originally a name for Thunder god in Japanese and here it stands for Rocket launch Atmospheric electricity Investigation by Jaxa IN cooperation with academia.

Time domain simulations of preliminary breakdown pulses in natural lightning.

PubMed

Carlson, B E; Liang, C; Bitzer, P; Christian, H

2015-06-16

Lightning discharge is a complicated process with relevant physical scales spanning many orders of magnitude. In an effort to understand the electrodynamics of lightning and connect physical properties of the channel to observed behavior, we construct a simulation of charge and current flow on a narrow conducting channel embedded in three-dimensional space with the time domain electric field integral equation, the method of moments, and the thin-wire approximation. The method includes approximate treatment of resistance evolution due to lightning channel heating and the corona sheath of charge surrounding the lightning channel. Focusing our attention on preliminary breakdown in natural lightning by simulating stepwise channel extension with a simplified geometry, our simulation reproduces the broad features observed in data collected with the Huntsville Alabama Marx Meter Array. Some deviations in pulse shape details are evident, suggesting future work focusing on the detailed properties of the stepping mechanism. Preliminary breakdown pulses can be reproduced by simulated channel extension Channel heating and corona sheath formation are crucial to proper pulse shape Extension processes and channel orientation significantly affect observations.

Time domain simulations of preliminary breakdown pulses in natural lightning

PubMed Central

Carlson, B E; Liang, C; Bitzer, P; Christian, H

2015-01-01

Lightning discharge is a complicated process with relevant physical scales spanning many orders of magnitude. In an effort to understand the electrodynamics of lightning and connect physical properties of the channel to observed behavior, we construct a simulation of charge and current flow on a narrow conducting channel embedded in three-dimensional space with the time domain electric field integral equation, the method of moments, and the thin-wire approximation. The method includes approximate treatment of resistance evolution due to lightning channel heating and the corona sheath of charge surrounding the lightning channel. Focusing our attention on preliminary breakdown in natural lightning by simulating stepwise channel extension with a simplified geometry, our simulation reproduces the broad features observed in data collected with the Huntsville Alabama Marx Meter Array. Some deviations in pulse shape details are evident, suggesting future work focusing on the detailed properties of the stepping mechanism. Key Points Preliminary breakdown pulses can be reproduced by simulated channel extension Channel heating and corona sheath formation are crucial to proper pulse shape Extension processes and channel orientation significantly affect observations PMID:26664815

Electrically conductive carbon fibre-reinforced composite for aircraft lightning strike protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katunin, Andrzej; Krukiewicz, Katarzyna; Turczyn, Roman; Sul, Przemysław; Bilewicz, Marcin

2017-05-01

Aircraft elements, especially elements of exterior fuselage, are subjected to damage caused by lightning strikes. Due to the fact that these elements are manufactured from polymeric composites in modern aircraft, and thus, they cannot conduct electrical charges, the lightning strikes cause burnouts in composite structures. Therefore, the effective lightning strike protection for such structures is highly desired. The solution presented in this paper is based on application of organic conductive fillers in the form of intrinsically conducting polymers and carbon fabric in order to ensure electrical conductivity of whole composite and simultaneously retain superior mechanical properties. The presented studies cover synthesis and manufacturing of the electrically conductive composite as well as its characterization with respect to mechanical and electrical properties. The performed studies indicate that the proposed material can be potentially considered as a constructional material for aircraft industry, which characterizes by good operational properties and low cost of manufacturing with respect to current lightning strike protection materials solutions.

KSC00pp0889

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

At KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility, a specially equipped Cessna Citation aircraft flies over the runway to calibrate the Cessna’s field mills with field mills on the ground (on the tripod at left) and on the car parked nearby (at right). Field mills measure electric fields. The aircraft is also equipped with cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information about this study can be found in Release No. 56-00

KSC-00pp0891

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

At KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility, a specially equipped Cessna Citation aircraft approaches the runway to calibrate the Cessna’s field mills with field mills on the ground (on the tripod at left) and on the car parked nearby (at right). Field mills measure electric fields. The aircraft is also equipped with cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information on this study can be found in Release No. 56-00

KSC00pp0891

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

At KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility, a specially equipped Cessna Citation aircraft approaches the runway to calibrate the Cessna’s field mills with field mills on the ground (on the tripod at left) and on the car parked nearby (at right). Field mills measure electric fields. The aircraft is also equipped with cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information on this study can be found in Release No. 56-00

KSC-00pp0889

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-19

At KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility, a specially equipped Cessna Citation aircraft flies over the runway to calibrate the Cessna’s field mills with field mills on the ground (on the tripod at left) and on the car parked nearby (at right). Field mills measure electric fields. The aircraft is also equipped with cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information about this study can be found in Release No. 56-00

Observations of narrow bipolar events reveal how lightning is initiated in thunderstorms

DOE PAGES

Rison, William; Krehbiel, Paul R.; Stock, Michael G.; ...

2016-02-15

A long-standing but fundamental question in lightning studies concerns how lightning is initiated inside storms, given the absence of physical conductors. The issue has revolved around the question of whether the discharges are initiated solely by conventional dielectric breakdown or involve relativistic runaway electron processes. Here we report observations of a relatively unknown type of discharge, called fast positive breakdown, that is the cause of high-power discharges known as narrow bipolar events. We find that the breakdown has a wide range of strengths and is the initiating event of numerous lightning discharges. It appears to be purely dielectric in naturemore » and to consist of a system of positive streamers in a locally intense electric field region. It initiates negative breakdown at the starting location of the streamers, which leads to the ensuing flash. The observations show that many or possibly all lightning flashes are initiated by fast positive breakdown.« less

Lightning Impulse Breakdown Characteristics and Electrodynamic Process of Insulating Vegetable Oil-Based Nanofluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jian; Zhang, Zhao-Tao; Zou, Ping; Du, Bin; Liao, Rui-Jin

2012-06-01

Insulating vegetable oils are considered environment-friendly and fire-resistant substitutes for insulating mineral oils. This paper presents the lightning impulse breakdown characteristic of insulating vegetable oil and insulating vegetable oil-based nanofluids. It indicates that Fe3O4 nanoparticles can increase the negative lightning impulse breakdown voltages of insulating vegetable oil by 11.8% and positive lightning impulse breakdown voltages by 37.4%. The propagation velocity of streamer is reduced by the presence of nanoparticles. The propagation velocities of streamer to positive and negative lightning impulse breakdown in the insulating vegetable oil-based nanofluids are 21.2% and 14.4% lesser than those in insulating vegetable oils, respectively. The higher electrical breakdown strength and lower streamer velocity is explained by the charging dynamics of nanoparticles in insulating vegetable oil. Space charge build-up and space charge distorted filed in point-sphere gap is also described. The field strength is reduced at the streamer tip due to the low mobility of negative nanoparticles.

Sources and components of ball lightning theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikitin, A. I.; Bychkov, V. L.; Nikitina, T. F.; Velichko, A. M.; Abakumov, V. I.

2018-03-01

The article describes the cases when ball lightning (BL) exhibited an extremely high specific energy store (up to 1010 J/m3), a presence of uncompensated electric charge (up to 10‑3 C) and an ability to generate high frequency pulses (up to 10 MW). It is shown that the realization of a combination of these properties of BL is possible if to consider it as a heterogeneous system consisting of a unipolarly charged core and a dielectric shell. In the electric field of the core charge, arises a force owing to the polarization of the shell that opposes the Coulomb repulsion force of the charges. BL models constructed according to the indicated principle are described: the electrodynamic model and the chemical-thermal model, which treats BL as a hollow sphere filled with steam. The requirement to take into account the main three properties of BL makes it possible to reduce the number of models of this natural phenomenon. Detailed cases of observations of high-energy lightning are analyzed.

Lightning Strike Ablation Damage Influence Factors Analysis of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite Based on Coupled Electrical-Thermal Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, J. J.; Chang, F.; Li, S. L.; Yao, X. L.; Sun, J. R.; Xiao, Y.

2017-10-01

According to the mathematical analysis model constructed on the basis of energy-balance relationship in lightning strike, and accompany with the simplified calculation strategy of composite resin pyrolysis degree dependent electrical conductivity, an effective three dimensional thermal-electrical coupling analysis finite element model of composite laminate suffered from lightning current was established based on ABAQUS, to elucidate the effects of lighting current waveform parameters and thermal/electrical properties of composite laminate on the extent of ablation damage. Simulated predictions agree well with the composite lightning strike directed effect experimental data, illustrating the potential accuracy of the constructed model. The analytical results revealed that extent of composite lightning strike ablation damage can be characterized by action integral validly, there exist remarkable power function relationships between action integral and visual damage area, projected damage area, maximum damage depth and damage volume of ablation damage, and enhancing the electrical conductivity and specific heat of composite, ablation damage will be descended obviously, power function relationships also exist between electrical conductivity, specific heat and ablation damage, however, the impact of thermal conductivity on the extent of ablation damage is not notable. The conclusions obtained provide some guidance for composite anti-lightning strike structure-function integration design.

Generalization of the lightning electromagnetic equations of Uman, McLain, and Krider based on Jefimenko equations

DOE PAGES

Shao, Xuan-Min

2016-04-12

The fundamental electromagnetic equations used by lightning researchers were introduced in a seminal paper by Uman, McLain, and Krider in 1975. However, these equations were derived for an infinitely thin, one-dimensional source current, and not for a general three-dimensional current distribution. In this paper, we introduce a corresponding pair of generalized equations that are determined from a three-dimensional, time-dependent current density distribution based on Jefimenko's original electric and magnetic equations. To do this, we derive the Jefimenko electric field equation into a new form that depends only on the time-dependent current density similar to that of Uman, McLain, and Krider,more » rather than on both the charge and current densities in its original form. The original Jefimenko magnetic field equation depends only on current, so no further derivation is needed. We show that the equations of Uman, McLain, and Krider can be readily obtained from the generalized equations if a one-dimensional source current is considered. For the purpose of practical applications, we discuss computational implementation of the new equations and present electric field calculations for a three-dimensional, conical-shape discharge.« less

Summary of Almost 20 Years of Storm Overflight Electric Field, Conductivity, Flash Rate, and Current Statistics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blakeslee, Richard J.; Mach, Douglas M.; Bateman, Monte J.; Bailey, Jeffrey C.

2011-01-01

We present total conduction (Wilson) currents for more than 1000 high-altitude aircraft overflights of electrified clouds acquired over nearly two decades. The overflights include a wide geographical sample of storms over land and ocean, with and without lightning, and with positive (i.e., upward-directed) and negative current. Peak electric field, with lightning transients removed, ranged from -1.0 kV/m to 16. kV/m, with mean (median) of 0.9 kV/m (0.29 kV/m). Total conductivity at flight altitude ranged from 0.6 pS/m to 3.6 pS/m, with mean and median of 2.2 pS/m. Peak current densities ranged from -2.0 nA m(exp -2) to 33.0 nA m(exp -2) with mean (median) of 1.9 nA m(exp -2) (0.6 nA m(exp -2)). Total upward current flow from storms in our dataset ranged from -1.3 to 9.4 A. The mean current for storms with lightning is 1.7 A over ocean and 1.0 A over land. The mean current for electrified shower clouds (i.e. electrified storms without lightning) is 0.41 A for ocean and 0.13 A for land. About 78% (43%) of the land (ocean) storms have detectable lightning. Land storms have 2.8 times the mean flash rate as ocean storms (2.2 versus 0.8 flashes min-1, respectively). Approximately 7% of the overflights had negative current. The mean and median currents for positive (negative) polarity storms are 1.0 and 0.35 A (-0.30 and -0.26 A). We found no regional or latitudinal-based patterns in our storm currents, nor support for simple scaling laws between cloud top height and lightning flash rate.

Common Gamma-ray Glows above Thunderclouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelley, Nicole; Smith, David; Dwyer, Joseph; Hazelton, Bryna; Grefenstette, Brian; Lowell, Alex; Splitt, Michael; Lazarus, Steven; Rassoul, Hamid

2013-04-01

Gamma-ray glows are continuous, long duration gamma- and x-ray emission seen coming from thunderclouds. The Airborne for Energetic Lightning Emissions (ADELE) observed 12 gamma-ray glows during its summer 2009 flight campaign over the areas of Colorado and Florida in the United States. For these glows we shall present their spectra, relationship to lightning activity and how their duration and size changes as a function of distance. Gamma-ray glows follow the relativistic runaway electron avalanche (RREA) spectrum and have been previously measured from the ground and inside the cloud. ADELE measured most glows as it flew above the screening layer of the cloud. During the brightest glow on August 21, 2009, we can show that we are flying directly into a downward facing relativistic runaway avalanche, indicative of flying between the upper positive and negative screening layer of the cloud. In order to explain the brightness of this glow, RREA with an electric field approaching the limit for relativistic feedback must be occurring. Using all 12 glows, we show that lightning activity diminishes during the onset of the glow. Using this along with the fact that glows occur as the field approaches the level necessary for feedback, we attempt to distinguish between two possibilities: that glows are evidence that RREA with feedback, rather than lightning, is sometimes the primary channel for discharging the cloud, or else that the overall discharging is still controlled by lightning, with glows simply appearing during times when a subsidence of lightning allows the field to rise above the threshold for RREA.

Preliminary Design of a Lightning Optical Camera and ThundEr (LOCATE) Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phanord, Dieudonne D.; Koshak, William J.; Rybski, Paul M.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The preliminary design of an optical/acoustical instrument is described for making highly accurate real-time determinations of the location of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning. The instrument, named the Lightning Optical Camera And ThundEr (LOCATE) sensor, will also image the clear and cloud-obscured lightning channel produced from CGs and cloud flashes, and will record the transient optical waveforms produced from these discharges. The LOCATE sensor will consist of a full (360 degrees) field-of-view optical camera for obtaining CG channel image and azimuth, a sensitive thunder microphone for obtaining CG range, and a fast photodiode system for time-resolving the lightning optical waveform. The optical waveform data will be used to discriminate CGs from cloud flashes. Together, the optical azimuth and thunder range is used to locate CGs and it is anticipated that a network of LOCATE sensors would determine CG source location to well within 100 meters. All of this would be accomplished for a relatively inexpensive cost compared to present RF lightning location technologies, but of course the range detection is limited and will be quantified in the future. The LOCATE sensor technology would have practical applications for electric power utility companies, government (e.g. NASA Kennedy Space Center lightning safety and warning), golf resort lightning safety, telecommunications, and other industries.

Intense transient electric field sensor based on the electro-optic effect of LiNbO{sub 3}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Qing, E-mail: yangqing@cqu.edu.cn; Sun, Shangpeng; Han, Rui

2015-10-15

Intense transient electric field measurements are widely applied in various research areas. An optical intense E-field sensor for time-domain measurements, based on the electro-optic effect of lithium niobate, has been studied in detail. Principles and key issues in the design of the sensor are presented. The sensor is insulated, small in size (65 mm × 15 mm × 15 mm), and suitable for high-intensity (<801 kV/m) electric field measurements over a wide frequency band (10 Hz–10 MHz). The input/output characteristics of the sensor were obtained and the sensor calibrated. Finally, an application using this sensor in testing laboratory lightning impulsesmore » and in measuring transient electric fields during switch-on of a disconnector confirmed that the sensor is expected to find widespread use in transient intense electric field measurement applications.« less

Intense transient electric field sensor based on the electro-optic effect of LiNbO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Qing; Sun, Shangpeng; Han, Rui; Sima, Wenxia; Liu, Tong

2015-10-01

Intense transient electric field measurements are widely applied in various research areas. An optical intense E-field sensor for time-domain measurements, based on the electro-optic effect of lithium niobate, has been studied in detail. Principles and key issues in the design of the sensor are presented. The sensor is insulated, small in size (65 mm × 15 mm × 15 mm), and suitable for high-intensity (<801 kV/m) electric field measurements over a wide frequency band (10 Hz-10 MHz). The input/output characteristics of the sensor were obtained and the sensor calibrated. Finally, an application using this sensor in testing laboratory lightning impulses and in measuring transient electric fields during switch-on of a disconnector confirmed that the sensor is expected to find widespread use in transient intense electric field measurement applications.

Microphysical and Kinematic Characteristics of Regions of Flash Initiation in a Supercell Storm and a Multicell Storm Observed During the DC3 Field Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiGangi, E.; MacGorman, D. R.; Ziegler, C.; Betten, D.; Biggerstaff, M. I.

2017-12-01

Lightning initiation in thunderstorms requires that the local electric field magnitude exceed breakdown values somewhere, and this tends to occur between regions of positive and negative charge, where the largest electric field magnitudes tend to occur. Past studies have demonstrated that, near updrafts, storms with very strong updrafts tend to elevate regions of charge and of flash initiations higher, as well as to have more flashes initiated by small pockets of charge, than in storms with much weaker updrafts. In all thunderstorms, the source of these charge regions is generally thought to be microscopic charge separation via the relative growth rate noninductive mechanism, followed by macroscopic charge separation via sedimentation, although other charge generation mechanisms can contribute to charge in some regions. Charge generation and lightning initiation are therefore inherently dependent on the microphysical and kinematic characteristics of a given storm. This study compares the results of a hydrometeor classification algorithm applied to C-band mobile radar data with mixing ratios calculated by a diabatic Lagrangian analysis retrieval from the dual-Doppler wind fields for two storms, the 29-30 May 2012 supercell storm and the 21 June 2012 multicell storm, observed during the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry experiment. Using these data, we then compare the inferred microphysical and kinematic characteristics of regions in which the Oklahoma Lightning Mapping Array indicated that flashes were initiated in these two very different storms.

Toward a Time-Domain Fractal Lightning Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, C.; Carlson, B. E.; Lehtinen, N. G.; Cohen, M.; Lauben, D.; Inan, U. S.

2010-12-01

Electromagnetic simulations of lightning are useful for prediction of lightning properties and exploration of the underlying physical behavior. Fractal lightning models predict the spatial structure of the discharge, but thus far do not provide much information about discharge behavior in time and therefore cannot predict electromagnetic wave emissions or current characteristics. Here we develop a time-domain fractal lightning simulation from Maxwell's equations, the method of moments with the thin wire approximation, an adaptive time-stepping scheme, and a simplified electrical model of the lightning channel. The model predicts current pulse structure and electromagnetic wave emissions and can be used to simulate the entire duration of a lightning discharge. The model can be used to explore the electrical characteristics of the lightning channel, the temporal development of the discharge, and the effects of these characteristics on observable electromagnetic wave emissions.

Atmospheric electricity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanenko, V. D.

Papers are presented on a wide range of studies of atmospheric electricity, from the problem of the global atmospheric-electricity circuit to the effects of atmospheric electricity on ground-based facilities and biological objects. The main topics considered are general problems of atmospheric electricity, studies of atmospheric ions and aerosols, cloud electricity, studies of lightning-storm activity and atmospherics, and lightning protection.

Nonlinear FDTD Analysis of Lightning-Generated Sferics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdman, A.; Moore, R. C.

2017-12-01

Lightning strikes are extremely powerful natural events producing wideband electromagnetic waves. The EMP radiation and quasi-electrostatic field changes from powerful lightning discharges are capable of directly heating and ionizing the lower ionosphere. These changes to the electrical parameters of the lower ionosphere in turn modify the way different components of the wideband sferic propagate through and reflect from the lower ionosphere. Here we present the results of a new FDTD model that utilizes a 2D cylindrically symmetric grid with second-order accurate centered-difference differentials to evaluate a large number of chemical reactions pertinent to the D-region in order to update the electron density and conductivity every iteration. Using this model, we are able to evaluate the impact of lightning strikes of varying magnitude and analyze the role of ionospheric self-action in changing in the sferic waveform observed on the ground.

New Physical Mechanism for Lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artekha, Sergey N.; Belyan, Andrey V.

2018-02-01

The article is devoted to electromagnetic phenomena in the atmosphere. The set of experimental data on the thunderstorm activity is analyzed. It helps to identify a possible physical mechanism of lightning flashes. This mechanism can involve the formation of metallic bonds in thunderclouds. The analysis of the problem is performed at a microphysical level within the framework of quantum mechanics. The mechanism of appearance of metallic conductivity includes the resonant tunneling of electrons along resonance-percolation trajectories. Such bonds allow the charges from the vast cloud charged subsystems concentrate quickly in lightning channel. The formation of metal bonds in the thunderstorm cloudiness is described as the second-order phase transition. A successive mechanism for the process of formation and development of the lightning channel is suggested. This mechanism is associated with the change in the orientation of crystals in growing electric field. Possible consequences of the quantum-mechanical mechanism under discussion are compared with the results of observations.

Protection against lightning on the geomagnetic observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Čop, R.; Milev, G.; Deželjin, D.; Kosmač, J.

2014-04-01

The Sinji Vrh Geomagnetic Observatory was built on the brow of the mountain Gora, above Ajdovščina, and all over Europe one may hardly find an area which is more often struck by lightning than this south-western part of Slovenia. When the humid air masses of a storm front hit the edge of Gora, they rise up more than 1000 m in a very short time, and this causes the additional electrical charge of stormy clouds. The reliability of operations performed in the every building of observatory could be increased by understanding the formation of lightning in the thunderstorm cloud, the application of already proven methods of protection against a strike of lightning and against its secondary effects. To reach this goal the following groups of experts have to co-operate: the experts in the field of protection against lightening phenomenon, the constructors and manufacturers of equipment and the observatory managers.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rison, William; Krehbiel, Paul R.; Stock, Michael G.

A long-standing but fundamental question in lightning studies concerns how lightning is initiated inside storms, given the absence of physical conductors. The issue has revolved around the question of whether the discharges are initiated solely by conventional dielectric breakdown or involve relativistic runaway electron processes. Here we report observations of a relatively unknown type of discharge, called fast positive breakdown, that is the cause of high-power discharges known as narrow bipolar events. We find that the breakdown has a wide range of strengths and is the initiating event of numerous lightning discharges. It appears to be purely dielectric in naturemore » and to consist of a system of positive streamers in a locally intense electric field region. It initiates negative breakdown at the starting location of the streamers, which leads to the ensuing flash. The observations show that many or possibly all lightning flashes are initiated by fast positive breakdown.« less

Electrodynamics of the stratosphere using 5000 m3 superpressure balloons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzworth, R. H.

Recently the U. S. National Science Foundation and NASA have begun support of a long duration balloon-borne experiment to study electrical properties of the upper atmosphere. This research project titled EMA (Electrodynamics of the Middle Atmopshere) involves the design of a microprocessor controlled payload and the launch of up to eight small superpressure balloons during 1982 through early 1984. The primary payload instrument will measure the vector electric field from DC to 10 kHz and the payloads will include instruments to measure local ionization, electrical conductivity, magnetic field, pressure and temperature fluctuations and to record optical lightning. Measurement of these parameters in the stratosphere from a few balloons simultaneously for periods extending over a few solar rotations will enable us to study (1) electrical coupling between the atmosphere and magnetosphere, (2) global current systems, (3) global response to solar flares and magnetospheric storms and many other outstanding problems. In order to obtain long duration flights, it is necessary to fly in the southern hemisphere where the balloons are expected to circle the globe dozens of times in their lifetimes. Thus the balloons will be out of direct communication with any one ground station most of the time so the telemetry will be relayed via satellite. This severely limits the data rates resulting in the need for on-board data processing. This is accomplished through the use of dual microcomputers for data analysis and for telemetry formatting. This talk will concentrate on a description of our payload design as driven by the scientific requirements. Examples of the types of electric field signatures we expect to be able to distinguish will also be presented.

ST-segment elevation following lightning strike: case report and review of the literature.

PubMed

Akın, Alper; Bilici, Meki; Demir, Fikri; Gözü Pirinççioğlu, Ayfer; Yıldırım, Ahmet

2015-01-01

Lightning strikes may cause injury to the heart, ranging from slight electrocardiographic changes to fatal damage. As heart injury is the most important cause of mortality in these patients, cardiac monitoring is crucial. Even though various ECG changes have been reported, published data on pathologic ST-segment changes is scarce. Herein, we present a seven-year old patient with ST-segment elevation following a lightning strike. There is not sufficient data regarding lightning-related myocardial ischemia. However, because of the similar effects of lightning strikes and high-voltage electric shocks, we believe myocardial injury related to lightning may be managed in the same manner as is cardiac involvement associated with electric shock.

Study of the transport parameters of cloud lightning plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, Z. S.; Yuan, P.; Zhao, N.

2010-11-15

Three spectra of cloud lightning have been acquired in Tibet (China) using a slitless grating spectrograph. The electrical conductivity, the electron thermal conductivity, and the electron thermal diffusivity of the cloud lightning, for the first time, are calculated by applying the transport theory of air plasma. In addition, we investigate the change behaviors of parameters (the temperature, the electron density, the electrical conductivity, the electron thermal conductivity, and the electron thermal diffusivity) in one of the cloud lightning channels. The result shows that these parameters decrease slightly along developing direction of the cloud lightning channel. Moreover, they represent similar suddenmore » change behavior in tortuous positions and the branch of the cloud lightning channel.« less

Acoustic and electric signals from lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balachandran, N. K.

1983-01-01

Observations of infrasound apparently generated by the collapse of the electrostatic field in the thundercloud, are presented along with electric field measurements and high-frequency thunder signals. The frequency of the infrasound pulse is about 1 Hz and amplitude a few microbars. The observations seem to confirm some of the theoretical predictions of Wilson (1920) and Dessler (1973). The signal is predominated by a compressional phase and seems to be beamed vertically. Calculation of the parameters of the charged region using the infrasound signal give reasonable values.

The interaction with the lower ionosphere of electromagnetic pulses from lightning: Excitation of optical emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taranenko, Y. N.; Inan, U. S.; Bell, T. F.

1993-01-01

A self consistent and fully kinetic simulation of the interaction of lightning radiated electromagnetic (EM) pulses with the nighttime lower ionosphere indicates that optical emissions observable with conventional instruments would be excited. For example, emissions of the 1st and 2nd positive bands of N2 occur at rates reaching 7 x 10(exp 7) and 10(exp 7) cu cm/s respectively at 92 km altitude for a lightning discharge with an electric field E(sub 100) = 20 V/m (normalized to a 100 km distance). The maximum height integrated intensities of these emissions are 4 x 10(exp 7) and 6 x 10(exp 6) R respectively, lasting for approx. 50 micrometers.

Lightning vulnerability of fiber-optic cables.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martinez, Leonard E.; Caldwell, Michele

2008-06-01

One reason to use optical fibers to transmit data is for isolation from unintended electrical energy. Using fiber optics in an application where the fiber cable/system penetrates the aperture of a grounded enclosure serves two purposes: first, it allows for control signals to be transmitted where they are required, and second, the insulating properties of the fiber system help to electrically isolate the fiber terminations on the inside of the grounded enclosure. A fundamental question is whether fiber optic cables can allow electrical energy to pass through a grounded enclosure, with a lightning strike representing an extreme but very importantmore » case. A DC test bed capable of producing voltages up to 200 kV was used to characterize electrical properties of a variety of fiber optic cable samples. Leakage current in the samples were measured with a micro-Ammeter. In addition to the leakage current measurements, samples were also tested to DC voltage breakdown. After the fiber optic cables samples were tested with DC methods, they were tested under representative lightning conditions at the Sandia Lightning Simulator (SLS). Simulated lightning currents of 30 kA and 200 kA were selected for this test series. This paper documents measurement methods and test results for DC high voltage and simulated lightning tests performed at the Sandia Lightning Simulator on fiber optic cables. The tests performed at the SLS evaluated whether electrical energy can be conducted inside or along the surface of a fiber optic cable into a grounded enclosure under representative lightning conditions.« less

Venus Express Contributions to the Study of Planetary Lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, C. T.; Hart, R. A.; Zhang, T. L.

2014-04-01

Jupiter, and Saturn are expected to generate the electrical potential differences in their clouds sufficient to cause a breakdown in the atmosphere,creating a conducting path for the electric potential to discharge. This high-energy phenomenon creates a hot, high-pressure channel that enables chemical reactions not possible under usual local thermodynamic conditions. Thus it is of some interest to determine if lightning occurs in an atmosphere. While Venus is not usually considered one of the wet planets, lightning has been an object of interest since the Venera landers. It was observed with electromagnetic coils on Venera 11, 12, 13, 14 landers [2]. It was observed with a visible spectrometer on the Venera 9 orbits [1]. It was mapped during solar occultations by the electric antenna on the Pioneer Venus Orbiter [4]. These measurements revealed extensive lightning activity with an electromagnetic energy flux similar to that on Earth. However, the observations were limited in number in the atmosphere and to the nightside from orbit. In order to improve the understanding of Venus lightning, the Venus Express magnetometer was given a 128-Hz sampling rate that could cover much of the ELF frequencies at which lightning could be observed in the weak magnetic fields of the Venus ionosphere [5]. This investigation was immediately successful [3], but mastering the cleaning of the broadband data took several years to accomplish. Furthermore, the high polar latitudes of VEX periapsis were not the ideal locations to conduct the more global survey that was desired. Fortunately, after precessing poleward over the first few years the latitude of periapsis has returned to lower latitudes(Figures 1 and 2) and active electrical storms are now being studied. The charged constituent of the Venus atmosphere need not be water. In fact, we believe it is H2SO4 which polarizes much as water does and which freezes and melts at similar temperatures. If it is H2SO4, we would expect the constituent to be sensitive to the rate of Venus volcanism releasing sulfur and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. This is one correlation we are anxious to pursue on future missions.

Measurement of electromagnetic waves in ELF and VLF bands to monitor lightning activity in the Maritime Continent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamashita, Kozo; Takahashi, Yukihiro; Ohya, Hiroyo; Tsuchiya, Fuminori; Sato, Mitsuteru; Matsumoto, Jun

2013-04-01

Data of lightning discharge has been focused on as an effective way for monitoring and nowcasting of thunderstorm activity which causes extreme weather. Spatial distribution of lightning discharge has been used as a proxy of the presence or absence of deep convection. Latest observation shows that there is extremely huge lightning whose scale is more than hundreds times bigger than that of averaged event. This result indicates that lightning observation should be carried out to estimate not only existence but also scale for quantitative evaluation of atmospheric convection. In this study, lightning observation network in the Maritime Continent is introduced. This network is consisted of the sensors which make possible to measure electromagnetic wave radiated from lightning discharges. Observation frequency is 0.1 - 40 kHz for the measurement of magnetic field and 1 - 40 kHz for that of electric field. Sampling frequency is 100 kHz. Waveform of electromagnetic wave is recorded by personal computer. We have already constructed observation stations at Tainan in Taiwan (23.1N, 121.1E), Saraburi in Thailand (14.5N, 101.0E), and Pontianak in Indonesia (0.0N, 109.4E). Furthermore, we plan to install the monitoring system at Los Banos in Philippines (14.18, 121.25E) and Hanoi in Viet Nam. Data obtained by multipoint observation is synchronized by GPS receiver installed at each station. By using data obtained by this network, location and scale of lightning discharge can be estimated. Location of lightning is determined based on time of arrival method. Accuracy of geolocation could be less than 10km. Furthermore, charge moment is evaluated as a scale of each lightning discharge. It is calculated from electromagnetic waveform in ELF range (3-30 kHz). At the presentation, we will show the initial result about geolocation for source of electromagnetic wave and derivation of charge moment value based on the measurement of ELF and VLF sferics.

Detection of high-energy gamma rays from winter thunderclouds.

PubMed

Tsuchiya, H; Enoto, T; Yamada, S; Yuasa, T; Kawaharada, M; Kitaguchi, T; Kokubun, M; Kato, H; Okano, M; Nakamura, S; Makishima, K

2007-10-19

A report is made on a comprehensive observation of a burstlike gamma-ray emission from thunderclouds on the Sea of Japan, during strong thunderstorms on 6 January 2007. The detected emission, lasting for approximately 40 sec, preceded cloud-to-ground lightning discharges. The burst spectrum, extending to 10 MeV, can be interpreted as consisting of bremsstrahlung photons originating from relativistic electrons. This ground-based observation provides the first clear evidence that strong electric fields in thunderclouds can continuously accelerate electrons beyond 10 MeV prior to lightning discharges.

Modern concepts of treatment and prevention of lightning injuries.

PubMed

Edlich, Richard F; Farinholt, Heidi-Marie A; Winters, Kathryne L; Britt, L D; Long, William B

2005-01-01

Lightning is the second most common cause of weather-related death in the United States. Lightning is a natural atmospheric discharge that occurs between regions of net positive and net negative electric charges. There are several types of lightning, including streak lightning, sheet lightning, ribbon lightning, bead lightning, and ball lightning. Lightning causes injury through five basic mechanisms: direct strike, flash discharge (splash), contact, ground current (step voltage), and blunt trauma. While persons struck by lightning show evidence of multisystem derangement, the most dramatic effects involve the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. Cardiopulmonary arrest is the most common cause of death in lightning victims. Immediate resuscitation of people struck by lightning greatly affects the prognosis. Electrocardiographic changes observed following lightning accidents are probably from primary electric injury or burns of the myocardium without coronary artery occlusion. Lightning induces vasomotor spasm from direct sympathetic stimulation resulting in severe loss of pulses in the extremities. This vasoconstriction may be associated with transient paralysis. Damage to the central nervous system accounts for the second most debilitating group of injuries. Central nervous system injuries from lightning include amnesia and confusion, immediate loss of consciousness, weakness, intracranial injuries, and even brief aphasia. Other organ systems injured by lightning include the eye, ear, gastrointestinal system, skin, and musculoskeletal system. The best treatment of lightning injuries is prevention. The Lightning Safety Guidelines devised by the Lightning Safety Group should be instituted in the United States and other nations to prevent these devastating injuries.

3D modeling of lightning-induced electromagnetic pulses on Venus, Jupiter and Saturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Invernón, Francisco J.; Luque, Alejandro; Gordillo-Vázquez, Francisco J.

2017-04-01

Atmospheric electricity is a common phenomenon in some planets of The Solar System. We know that atmospheric discharges exist on Earth and gaseous planets; however, some characteristics of lightning on Saturn and Jupiter as well as their relevance on the effects of lightning in the atmospheres of these planets are still unknown. In the case of Venus, there exist some radio evidences of lightning, but the lack of optical observations suggests exploring indirect methods of detection, such as searching for lightning-induced transient optical emissions from the upper atmosphere. The Akatsuki probe, currently orbiting Venus, is equipped with a camera whose temporal resolution is high enough to detect optical emissions from lightning discharges and to measure nightglow enhancements. In this work, we extend previous models [1,2] to investigate the chemical impact and transient optical emissions produced by possible lightning-emitted electromagnetic pulses (EMP) in Venus, Saturn and Jupiter. Using a 3D FDTD ("Finite Differences Time Domain") model we solve the Maxwell equations coupled with the Langevin equation for electrons [3] and with a kinetic scheme, different for each planetary atmosphere. This method is useful to investigate the temporal and spatial impact of lightning-induced electromagnetic fields in the atmosphere of each planet for different lightning characteristics (e.g. energy released, orientation). This 3D FDTD model allows us to include the saturnian and jovian background magnetic field inclination and magnitude at different latitudes, and to determine the effects of different lightning channel inclinations. Results provide useful information to interpret lightning observations on giant gaseous planets and in the search for indirect optical signals from atmospheric discharge on Venus such as fast nightglow transient enhancements related to lightning as seen on Earth. Furthermore, we underline the observation of electrical discharges characteristics as a powerful tool to obtain information about planetary atmospheres, such as density profiles of electrons or other components. Our model may also be useful to extend some studies about the chemical impact of EMP pulses in the terrestrial atmosphere [4]. References [1] Luque, A., D. Dubrovin, F. J. Gordillo-Vázquez, U. Ebert, F. C. Parra-Rojas, Y. Yair, and C. Price (2014), Coupling between atmospheric layers in gaseous giant planets due to lightning-generated electromagnetic pulses, J. Geophys. Res. (Space Phys), 119, 8705, doi: 10.1002/2014JA020457. [2] Pérez-Invernón, F. J., A. Luque, and F. J. Gordillo-Vázquez (2016), Mesospheric optical signatures of possible lightning on Venus, J. Geophys. Res. (Space Phys), 121, 7026, doi: 10.1029/2016JA022886. [3] Lee, J. H., and D. K. Kalluri (1999), Three-dimensional FDTD simulation of electromagnetic wave transformation in a dynamic inhomogeneous magnetized plasma, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 47, 1146, doi:10.1109/8.785745. [4] Marshall, R. A., U. S. Inan, and V. S. Glukhov (2010), Elves and associated electron density changes due to cloud-to-ground and in-cloud lightning discharges, J. Geophys. Res. (Space Phys), 115, A00E17, doi:10.1029/2009JA014469.

Laboratory Experiments of Helicity or Vortex Generation in an Electric Quadrupole: Simulation of Tonadoes with and without Lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kikuchi, H.

2007-05-01

Laboratory Experiments of Helicity or Vortex Generation in an Electric Quadrupole: Simulation of Tornadoes with and without Lightning H. Kikuchi Institute for Environmental Electromagnetics 3-8-18, Komagome, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170, Japan e-mail: hkikuchi@mars.dti.ne.jp Abstract Usually the source-origins of helicity or vortex generation have been considered to be thermohydrodynamic in the hydrodynamic (HD) regime and/or magnetohydrodynamic in the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) regime. It has been shown, however, by the present author that an electric quadrupole is also capable for helicity or vortex generation and a new electric helic- ity defined as hE= v·E (v: flow velocity; E: electric field) has been introduced. Accordingly, we have now three kinds of helicity, namely fluid, magnetic, and electric helicity. In many cases of atmospheric and space electricity phenomena in nature, electric helicity or vortex generation of electric origin is involved as typically seen in tornadic thunderstorms. Conventional theory of tornadoes, however, space- charge and electric fields have never been considered properly so far, surprisingly in spite of their effects of significance, because of no theorv for such cases, although those effects have been recognized implicitly by field experiments. This paper fills up these demands by newly introducing the concept of 'Electric Helicity' based on 'Electrohydrodynamics' (EHD) established and developed over the last more than two decades and such a whole theory is applied to tornadioes with and without lightning. Further, experimental evidence of this theory is presented for the first time by using a 'universal electric-cusp type plasma reactor' designed more than a decade ago [1]. This device is composed of two positive and negative electrodes of lead spheres 1.5 cm in diameter suspended 2~5 cm above a copper plane on which a semispherical lead 1.25 cm in diameter or its modified object is placed. A whole setup is arranged in a wooden box whose back and both sides are covered by black papers to prevent scattered and reflected light while its front side is open. We are particularly focusing on 'significance of electric quadrupole(s) in helicity and vortex generation',taking photos of wind flows with the use of a bunch of incense sticks burned and placed on the semispherical lead at the cusp center in the reactor. With increasing both electrode voltages from zero to a certain kV, ascending straight wind flows turn to be cyclonic separately toward the both electrodes. As soon as electric discharge from both electrodes to object starts at a certain breakdown voltage, typically 20~30 kV, wind flows suddenly turn to be violent and wind flows toward negative electrode are still cyclonic but wind flows toward positive electrode become anticyclonic. These results are shown by a number of photos taken and provide at the same time 'laboratory simulation of tonadoes with and without lightning'. [1] Kikuchi, H. Electrohydrodynamics in Dusty and Dirty Plasmas, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht/The Netherlands, 2001, pp.93-94.

Preliminary Findings from the One-Year Electric Field Study in the North Slope of Alaska (OYES-NSA), Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Field Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavigne, T.; Liu, C.

2017-12-01

Previous studies focusing on the comparison of the measured electric field to the physical properties of global electrified clouds have been conducted almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. The One-Year Electric Field Study-North Slope of Alaska (OYES-NSA) aims to establish a long-running collection of this valuable electric field data in the Northern Hemisphere. Presented here is the six-month preliminary data and results of the OYES-NSA Atmospheric Radiation Mission (ARM) field campaign. The local electric field measured in Barrow, Alaska using two CS110 reciprocating shutter field meters, has been compared to simultaneous measurements from the ARM Ka-Band zenith radar, to better understand the influence and contribution of different types of clouds on the local electric field. The fair-weather electric field measured in Barrow has also been analyzed and compared to the climatology of electric field at Vostok Station, Antarctica. The combination of the electric field dataset in the Northern Hemisphere, alongside the local Ka cloud radar, global Precipitation Feature (PF) database, and quasi-global lightning activity (55oN-55oS), allows for advances in the physical understanding of the local electric field, as well as the Global Electric Circuit (GEC).

Electrification in winter storms and the analysis of thunderstorm overflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brook, Marx

1991-01-01

The emergence of 24 hr operational lightning detection networks has led to the finding that positive lightning strokes, although still much fewer in number than the normal negative strokes, are present in summer and winter storms. Recent papers address the importance of understanding the meteorological conditions which lead to a dominance of one polarity of stroke over another; the appearance of positive strokes at the end of a storm appeared to presage the end-of-storm downdraft and subsidence leading to downburst activity. It is beginning to appear that positive strokes may be important meteorological indicators. Significant research accomplishments on the following topics are addressed: (1) a study to verify that the black boxes used in the lightning networks to detect both negative and positive strokes to ground were accurate; (2) the use of slow tails to determine the polarity of distant lightning; (3) lightning initiation in winter vs. summer storms; (4) the upgrade of sensors for the measurement of electric field signals associated with lightning; (5) the analysis of lightning flash records from storms between 40 and 125 km from the sensor; and (6) an interesting aspect of the initiation process which involves the physical processes driving the stepped leader. The focus of current research and future research plans are presented.

14 CFR 25.1316 - System lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... airplane; (5) Establishing the susceptibility of the systems to the internal and external lightning...) Determining the lightning strike zones for the airplane; (2) Establishing the external lightning environment for the zones; (3) Establishing the internal environment; (4) Identifying all the electrical and...

Atmospheric electricity/meteorology analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, Steven J.; Blakeslee, Richard; Buechler, Dennis

1993-01-01

This activity focuses on Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS)/Lightning Mapper Sensor (LMS) algorithm development and applied research. Specifically we are exploring the relationships between (1) global and regional lightning activity and rainfall, and (2) storm electrical development, physics, and the role of the environment. U.S. composite radar-rainfall maps and ground strike lightning maps are used to understand lightning-rainfall relationships at the regional scale. These observations are then compared to SSM/I brightness temperatures to simulate LIS/TRMM multi-sensor algorithm data sets. These data sets are supplied to the WETNET project archive. WSR88-D (NEXRAD) data are also used as it becomes available. The results of this study allow us to examine the information content from lightning imaging sensors in low-earth and geostationary orbits. Analysis of tropical and U.S. data sets continues. A neural network/sensor fusion algorithm is being refined for objectively associating lightning and rainfall with their parent storm systems. Total lightning data from interferometers are being used in conjunction with data from the national lightning network. A 6-year lightning/rainfall climatology has been assembled for LIS sampling studies.

The Vector Electric Field Instrument on the C/NOFS Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, R.; Kujawski, J.; Uribe, P.; Bromund, K.; Fourre, R.; Acuna, M.; Le, G.; Farrell, W.; Holzworth, R.; McCarthy, M.;

Lightning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pampe, William R.

1970-01-01

Presents basic physical theory for movement of electric charges in clouds, earth, and air during production of lightning and thunder. Amount of electrical energy produced and heating effects during typical thunderstorms is described. Generalized safety practices are given. (JM)

The RF spectra of first and subsequent lightning return strokes in the 1- to 200-km range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Serhan, G. I.; Uman, M. A.; Childers, D. G.; Lin, Y. T.

1980-01-01

An experimental characterization of the frequency spectra of first and subsequent stroke electric fields are presented over a distance range from about 1 km, where the fields are primarily electrostatic, to 200 km, where they are primarily radiation. Spectra are presented to about 700 kHz for lightning within 12 km and to about 300 kHz for lightning at 50 and 200 km. It is shown that the return stroke ground wave spectrum beyond 50 km has a peak near 4 kHz but that within 10 km the spectrum shows a steady increase with decreasing frequency to 1 kHz. Frequency spectra at all ranges fall off roughly as 1/f for frequencies between 5 and 100 kHz, while the falloff above 100 kHz is faster as the distance to the stroke increases. From this high-frequency attenuation an RF conductivity for central Florida of between 0.002 and 0.005/ohm/m was determined.

30 CFR 56.12065 - Short circuit and lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Short circuit and lightning protection. 56... Electricity § 56.12065 Short circuit and lightning protection. Powerlines, including trolley wires, and telephone circuits shall be protected against short circuits and lightning. ...

30 CFR 56.12065 - Short circuit and lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Short circuit and lightning protection. 56... Electricity § 56.12065 Short circuit and lightning protection. Powerlines, including trolley wires, and telephone circuits shall be protected against short circuits and lightning. ...

30 CFR 56.12065 - Short circuit and lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Short circuit and lightning protection. 56... Electricity § 56.12065 Short circuit and lightning protection. Powerlines, including trolley wires, and telephone circuits shall be protected against short circuits and lightning. ...

30 CFR 56.12065 - Short circuit and lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Short circuit and lightning protection. 56... Electricity § 56.12065 Short circuit and lightning protection. Powerlines, including trolley wires, and telephone circuits shall be protected against short circuits and lightning. ...

30 CFR 56.12065 - Short circuit and lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Short circuit and lightning protection. 56... Electricity § 56.12065 Short circuit and lightning protection. Powerlines, including trolley wires, and telephone circuits shall be protected against short circuits and lightning. ...

Ionospheric modification using relativistic electron beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, Peter M.; Fraser-Smith, Anthony C.; Gilchrist, B. E.

1990-01-01

The recent development of comparatively small electron linear accelerators (linacs) now makes possible a new class of ionospheric modification experiments using beams of relativistic electrons. These experiments can potentially provide much new information about the interactions of natural relativistic electrons with other particles in the upper atmosphere, and it may also make possible new forms of ionization structures extending down from the lower ionosphere into the largely un-ionized upper atmosphere. The consequences of firing a pulsed 1 A, 5 Mev electron beam downwards into the upper atmosphere are investigated. If a small pitch angle with respect to the ambient geomagnetic field is selected, the beam produces a narrow column of substantial ionization extending down from the source altitude to altitudes of approximately 40 to 45 km. This column is immediately polarized by the natural middle atmosphere fair weather electric field and an increasingly large potential difference is established between the column and the surrounding atmosphere. In the regions between 40 to 60 km, this potential can amount to many tens of kilovolts and the associated electric field can be greater than the field required for breakdown and discharge. Under these conditions, it may be possible to initiate lightning discharges along the initial ionization channel. Filamentation may also occur at the lower end to drive further currents in the partially ionized gases of the stratosphere. Such discharges would derive their energy from the earth-ionosphere electrical system and would be sustained until plasma depletion and/or electric field reduction brought the discharge under control. It is likely that this artificially-triggered lightning would produce measurable low-frequency radiation.

NASA Studies Lightning Storms Using High-Flying, Uninhabited Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

A NASA team studying the causes of electrical storms and their effects on our home planet achieved a milestone on August 21, 2002, completing the study's longest-duration research flight and monitoring four thunderstorms in succession. Based at the Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, researchers with the Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) used the Altus II remotely-piloted aircraft to study thunderstorms in the Atlantic Ocean off Key West and the west of the Everglades. Data obtained through sensors mounted to the aircraft will allow researchers in ACES to gauge elements such as lightning activity and the electrical environment in and around storms. By learning more about individual storms, scientists hope to better understand the global water and energy cycle, as well as climate variability. Contained in one portion of the aircraft is a three-axis magnetic search coil, which measures the AC magnetic field; a three-axis electric field change sensor; an accelerometer; and a three-axis magnetometer, which measures the DC magnetic field. With dual goals of gathering weather data safely and testing the adaptability of the uninhabited aircraft, the ACES study is a collaboration among the Marshall Space Flight Center, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Pernsylvania State University in University Park, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

The High Energy Lightning Simulator (HELS) Test Facility for Testing Explosive Items

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-08-01

Center, Redstone Arsenal, AL Thomas E. Roy and David W. Bagwell AMTEC Corporation, Huntsville, AL ABSTRACT Details of the High Energy Lightning...simulated lightning testing of inerted missiles and inerted explosive items containing electrically initiated explosive trains is to determine the...penetrate the safety cages, which are electrically conductive and grounded, without loss of current. This transmission system consists of six large

Dynamics of a lightning corona sheath—A constant field approach using the generalized traveling current source return stroke model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cvetic, Jovan; Heidler, Fridolin; Markovic, Slavoljub; Radosavljevic, Radovan; Osmokrovic, Predrag

2012-11-01

A generalized lightning traveling current source return stroke model has been used to examine the characteristics of the lightning channel corona sheath surrounding a thin channel core. A model of the lightning channel consisting of a charged corona sheath and a narrow, highly conducting central core that conducts the main current flow is assumed. Strong electric field, with a predominant radial direction, has been created during the return stroke between the channel core and the outer channel sheath containing the negative charge. The return stroke process is modeled with the positive charge coming from the channel core discharging the negative leader charge in the corona sheath. The corona sheath model that predicts the charge motion in the sheath is used to derive the expressions of the sheath radius vs. time during the return stroke. According to the corona sheath model proposed earlier by Maslowski and Rakov (2006) and Maslowski et al. (2009), it consists of three zones, zone 1 (surrounding channel core with net positive charge), zone 2 (surrounding zone 1 with negative charge) and zone 3 (outer zone representing the virgin air without charges). We adopted the assumption of a constant electric field inside zone 1 of the corona sheath observed in the experimental research of corona discharges in a coaxial geometry by Cooray (2000). This assumption seems to be more realistic than the assumption of a uniform corona space charge density used previously in the study of Maslowski and Rakov (2006), Marjanovic and Cvetic (2009), and Tausanovic et al. (2010). Applying the Gauss' law on the infinitesimally small cylindrical section of the channel the expressions for time-dependence of the radii of zones 1 and 2 during the return stroke are derived. The calculations have shown that the overall channel dynamics concerning electrical discharge is roughly 50% slower and the maximum radius of zone 1 is about 33% smaller compared to the corresponding values calculated in the study of Tausanovic et al. (2010).

A coordinated study of a storm system over the South American continent. 1. Weather information and quasi-DC stratospheric electric field data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinto, O.; Pinto, I. R. C. A.; Gin, R. B. B.; Mendes, O.

1992-11-01

This paper reports on a coordinated campaign conducted in Brazil, December 13, 1989, to study the electrical signatures associated with a large storm system over the South American continent. Inside the storm, large convective cells developed extending up to the tropopause, as revealed from meteorological balloon soundings. Quasi-DC vertical electric field and temperature were measured by zero-pressure balloon-borne payload launched from Cachoeira Paulista, Brazil. The data were supported by radar and GOES satellite observations, as well as by a lightning position and tracking system (LPATS). The analysis of infrared imagery supports the general tendency for lightning strikes to be near to but not exactly under the coldest cloud tops. In turn, the radar maps located the strikes near to but outside of the most intense areas of precipitation (reflectivity levels above 40 dBz). The balloon altitude and stratospheric temperature show significant variations in association with the storm. The quasi-DC vertical electric field remained almost during the whole flight in a reversed direction relative to the usual fair weather downward orientation with values as large as 4 V/m. A simple calculation based on a static dipole model of electrical cloud structure gives charges of some tens of coulombs. In contrast with most electric field measurements in other regions, no indication of an intensification of the vertical field in the downward fair weather orientation was observed. This fact is in agreement with past observations in the South American region and seems to be related to a particular type of storm that would occur with more frequency in this region. If so, such a difference may have an important role in the global atmospheric electrical circuit, considering that South America is believed to give a significant current contribution to the global circuit.

30 CFR 57.12065 - Short circuit and lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Short circuit and lightning protection. 57... MINES Electricity Surface Only § 57.12065 Short circuit and lightning protection. Powerlines, including trolley wires, and telephone circuits shall be protected against short circuits and lightning. ...

30 CFR 57.12065 - Short circuit and lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Short circuit and lightning protection. 57... MINES Electricity Surface Only § 57.12065 Short circuit and lightning protection. Powerlines, including trolley wires, and telephone circuits shall be protected against short circuits and lightning. ...

30 CFR 57.12065 - Short circuit and lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Short circuit and lightning protection. 57... MINES Electricity Surface Only § 57.12065 Short circuit and lightning protection. Powerlines, including trolley wires, and telephone circuits shall be protected against short circuits and lightning. ...

30 CFR 57.12065 - Short circuit and lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Short circuit and lightning protection. 57... MINES Electricity Surface Only § 57.12065 Short circuit and lightning protection. Powerlines, including trolley wires, and telephone circuits shall be protected against short circuits and lightning. ...

30 CFR 57.12065 - Short circuit and lightning protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Short circuit and lightning protection. 57... MINES Electricity Surface Only § 57.12065 Short circuit and lightning protection. Powerlines, including trolley wires, and telephone circuits shall be protected against short circuits and lightning. ...

Optical and electrical observations of an abnormal triggered lightning event with two upward propagations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Dong; Zhang, Yijun; Lu, Weitao; Zhang, Yang; Dong, Wansheng; Chen, Shaodong; Dan, Jianru

2012-08-01

This study investigates an abnormal artificially triggered lightning event that produced two positive upward propagations: one during the initial stage (i.e., the upward leader (UL)) and the other after a negative downward aborted leader (DAL). The triggered lightning was induced in a weak thunderstorm over the experiment site and did not produce a return stroke. All of the intra-cloud lightning around the experiment site produced positive changes in the electric field. The initial stage was a weak discharge process. A downward dart leader propagated along the channel produced by the first UL, ending at a height of approximately 453 m and forming a DAL. Under the influence of the DAL, the electric field at a point located 78 m from the rod experienced a steady reduction of about 6.8 kV m-1 over 5.24 ms prior to the initiation of a new upward channel (i.e., the second upward propagation (UP)). The second UP, which started approximately 4.1 ms after the termination of the DAL and propagated along the original channel, was triggered by the DAL and sustained for approximately 2.95 ms. Two distinct current pulses were superimposed on the current of the second UP. The first pulse, which was related to the sudden initiation of the second UP, was characterized by a more rapid increase and decrease and a larger peak value than the second pulse, which was related to the development of the second UP into the area affected by the DAL. The second UP contained both a similar-to-leader process and a following neutralization process. This study introduces a new type of triggering leader, in which a new upward discharge is triggered in an established channel by an aborted leader propagating along the same channel with opposite polarity and propagation direction.

Global Frequency and Distribution of Lightning as Observed from Space by the Optical Transient Detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christian, Hugh J.; Blakeslee, Richard J.; Boccippio, Dennis J.; Boeck, William L.; Bucchler, Dennis E.; Driscoll, Kevin T.; Goodman, Steven J.; Hall, John M.; Koshak, William J.; Mach, Douglas M.;

Lightning and electrical activity during the Shiveluch volcano eruption on 16 November 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shevtsov, Boris M.; Firstov, Pavel P.; Cherneva, Nina V.; Holzworth, Robert H.; Akbashev, Renat R.

2016-03-01

According to World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data, a sequence of lightning discharges was detected which occurred in the area of the explosive eruption of Shiveluch volcano on 16 November 2014 in Kamchatka. Information on the ash cloud motion was confirmed by the measurements of atmospheric electricity, satellite observations and meteorological and seismic data. It was concluded that WWLLN resolution is enough to detect the earlier stage of volcanic explosive eruption when electrification processes develop the most intensively. The lightning method has the undeniable advantage for the fast remote sensing of volcanic electric activity anywhere in the world. There is a good opportunity for the development of WWLLN technology to observe explosive volcanic eruptions.

A Model of the Turbulent Electric Dynamo in Multi-Phase Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dementyeva, Svetlana; Mareev, Evgeny

2016-04-01

Many terrestrial and astrophysical phenomena witness the conversion of kinetic energy into electric energy (the energy of the quasi-stationary electric field) in conducting media, which is natural to treat as manifestations of electric dynamo by analogy with well-known theory of magnetic dynamo. Such phenomena include thunderstorms and lightning in the Earth's atmosphere and atmospheres of other planets, electric activity caused by dust storms in terrestrial and Martian atmospheres, snow storms, electrical discharges occurring in technological setups, connected with intense mixing of aerosol particles like in the milling industry. We have developed a model of the large-scale turbulent electric dynamo in a weakly conducting medium, containing two heavy-particle components. We have distinguished two main classes of charging mechanisms (inductive and non-inductive) in accordance with the dependence or independence of the electric charge, transferred during a particle collision, on the electric field intensity and considered the simplified models which demonstrate the possibility of dynamo realization and its specific peculiarities for these mechanisms. Dynamo (the large-scale electric field growth) appears due to the charge separation between the colliding and rebounding particles. This process is may be greatly intensified by the turbulent mixing of particles with different masses and, consequently, different inertia. The particle charge fluctuations themselves (small-scale dynamo), however, do not automatically mean growth of the large-scale electric field without a large-scale asymmetry. Such an asymmetry arises due to the dependence of the transferred charge magnitude on the electric field intensity in the case of the inductive mechanism of charge separation, or due to the gravity and convection for non-inductive mechanisms. We have found that in the case of the inductive mechanism the large-scale dynamo occurs if the medium conductivity is small enough while the electrification process determined by the turbulence intensity and particles sizes is strong enough. The electric field strength grows exponentially. For the non-inductive mechanism we have found the conditions when the electric field strength grows but linearly in time. Our results show that turbulent electric dynamo could play a substantial role in the electrification processes for different mechanisms of charge generation and separation. Thunderstorms and lightning are the most frequent and spectacular manifestations of electric dynamo in the atmosphere, but turbulent electric dynamo may also be the reason of electric discharges occurring in dust and snow storms or even in technological setups with intense mixing of small particles.

Initial Results of DC Electric Fields, Associated Plasma Drifts, Magnetic Fields, and Plasma Waves Observed on the C/NOFS Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, R.; Freudenreich, H.; Bromund, K.; Klenzing, J.; Rowland, D.; Maynard, N.

2010-01-01

Initial results are presented from the Vector Electric Field Investigation (VEFI) on the Air Force Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite, a mission designed to understand, model, and forecast the presence of equatorial ionospheric irregularities. The VEFI instrument includes a vector DC electric field detector, a fixed-bias Langmuir probe operating in the ion saturation regime, a flux gate magnetometer, an optical lightning detector, and associated electronics including a burst memory. Compared to data obtained during more active solar conditions, the ambient DC electric fields and their associated E x B drifts are variable and somewhat weak, typically < 1 mV/m. Although average drift directions show similarities to those previously reported, eastward/outward during day and westward/downward at night, this pattern varies significantly with longitude and is not always present. Daytime vertical drifts near the magnetic equator are largest after sunrise, with smaller average velocities after noon. Little or no pre-reversal enhancement in the vertical drift near sunset is observed, attributable to the solar minimum conditions creating a much reduced neutral dynamo at the satellite altitude. The nighttime ionosphere is characterized by larger amplitude, structured electric fields, even where the plasma density appears nearly quiescent. Data from successive orbits reveal that the vertical drifts and plasma density are both clearly organized with longitude. The spread-F density depletions and corresponding electric fields that have been detected thus far have displayed a preponderance to appear between midnight and dawn. Associated with the narrow plasma depletions that are detected are broad spectra of electric field and plasma density irregularities for which a full vector set of measurements is available for detailed study. Finally, the data set includes a wide range of ELF/VLF/HF oscillations corresponding to a variety of plasma waves, in particular banded ELF hiss, whistlers, and lower hybrid wave turbulence triggered by lightning-induced sferics. The VEFI data represents a new set of measurements that are germane to numerous fundamental aspects of the electrodynamics and irregularities inherent to the Earth's low latitude ionosphere.

An experimental test of the 'transmission-line model' of electromagnetic radiation from triggered lightning return strokes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willett, J. C.; Idone, V. P.; Orville, R. E.; Leteinturier, C.; Eybert-Berard, A.

1988-01-01

Peak currents, two-dimensional average propagation speeds, and electric field waveforms for a number of subsequent return strikes in rocket-triggered lightning flashes were measured in order to test the 'transmission-line model' of return-stroke radiation of Uman and McLain (1970). Reasonable agreement is found between the propagation speeds measured with the streak camera and those deduced from the transmission-line model. A modification of the model is proposed in which two wave fronts travel upward and downward away from a junction point a short distance above the ground.

An experimental test of the 'transmission-line model' of electromagnetic radiation from triggered lightning return strokes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willett, J. C.; Idone, V. P.; Orville, R. E.; Leteinturier, C.; Eybert-Berard, A.

1988-04-01

Peak currents, two-dimensional average propagation speeds, and electric field waveforms for a number of subsequent return strikes in rocket-triggered lightning flashes were measured in order to test the 'transmission-line model' of return-stroke radiation of Uman and McLain (1970). Reasonable agreement is found between the propagation speeds measured with the streak camera and those deduced from the transmission-line model. A modification of the model is proposed in which two wave fronts travel upward and downward away from a junction point a short distance above the ground.

A photoelectric technique for measuring lightning-channel propagation velocities from a mobile laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mach, Douglas M.; Rust, W. David

1989-01-01

The present device for lightning channel propagation-velocity determination employs eight photodetectors mounted behind precision horizontal slits in the focal plane of a photographic camera lens. The eight photodetector pulses, IRIG-B time, and slow and fast electric field-change waveforms are recorded on a 14-track analog tape recorder. A comparison of the present results with those obtained by a streaking camera shows no significant differences between the velocities obtained from the same strokes with the two systems; neither is there any difference in pulse characteristics or in the velocities calculated from them.

30 CFR 77.508-1 - Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings... OF UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Electrical Equipment-General § 77.508-1 Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings. Lightning arresters protecting exposed telephone wires entering buildings shall be provided at...

30 CFR 77.508-1 - Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings... OF UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Electrical Equipment-General § 77.508-1 Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings. Lightning arresters protecting exposed telephone wires entering buildings shall be provided at...

30 CFR 77.508-1 - Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings... OF UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Electrical Equipment-General § 77.508-1 Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings. Lightning arresters protecting exposed telephone wires entering buildings shall be provided at...

30 CFR 77.508-1 - Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings... OF UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Electrical Equipment-General § 77.508-1 Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings. Lightning arresters protecting exposed telephone wires entering buildings shall be provided at...

30 CFR 77.508-1 - Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings... OF UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Electrical Equipment-General § 77.508-1 Lightning arresters; wires entering buildings. Lightning arresters protecting exposed telephone wires entering buildings shall be provided at...

Atmospheric electricity. [lightning protection criteria in spacecraft design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daniels, G. E.

1973-01-01

Atmospheric electricity must be considered in the design, transportation, and operation of aerospace vehicles. The effect of the atmosphere as an insulator and conductor of high voltage electricity, at various atmospheric pressures, must also be considered. The vehicle can be protected as follows: (1) By insuring that all metallic sections are connected by electrical bonding so that the current flow from a lightning stroke is conducted over the skin without any gaps where sparking would occur or current would be carried inside; (2) by protecting buildings and other structures on the ground with a system of lightning rods and wires over the outside to carry the lightning stroke into the ground; (3) by providing a zone of protection for launch complexes; (4) by providing protection devices in critical circuits; (5) by using systems which have no single failure mode; and (6) by appropriate shielding of units sensitive to electromagnetic radiation.

Developing Dual Polarization Applications For 45th Weather Squadron's (45 WS) New Weather Radar: A Cooperative Project With The National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roeder, W.P.; Peterson, W.A.; Carey, L.D.; Deierling, W.; McNamara, T.M.

2009-01-01

A new weather radar is being acquired for use in support of America s space program at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, NASA Kennedy Space Center, and Patrick AFB on the east coast of central Florida. This new radar includes dual polarization capability, which has not been available to 45 WS previously. The 45 WS has teamed with NSSTC with funding from NASA Marshall Spaceflight Flight Center to improve their use of this new dual polarization capability when it is implemented operationally. The project goals include developing a temperature profile adaptive scan strategy, developing training materials, and developing forecast techniques and tools using dual polarization products. The temperature profile adaptive scan strategy will provide the scan angles that provide the optimal compromise between volume scan rate, vertical resolution, phenomena detection, data quality, and reduced cone-of-silence for the 45 WS mission. The mission requirements include outstanding detection of low level boundaries for thunderstorm prediction, excellent vertical resolution in the atmosphere electrification layer between 0 C and -20 C for lightning forecasting and Lightning Launch Commit Criteria evaluation, good detection of anvil clouds for Lightning Launch Commit Criteria evaluation, reduced cone-of-silence, fast volume scans, and many samples per pulse for good data quality. The training materials will emphasize the appropriate applications most important to the 45 WS mission. These include forecasting the onset and cessation of lightning, forecasting convective winds, and hopefully the inference of electrical fields in clouds. The training materials will focus on annotated radar imagery based on products available to the 45 WS. Other examples will include time sequenced radar products without annotation to simulate radar operations. This will reinforce the forecast concepts and also allow testing of the forecasters. The new dual polarization techniques and tools will focus on the appropriate applications for the 45 WS mission. These include forecasting the onset of lightning, the cessation of lightning, convective winds, and hopefully the inference of electrical fields in clouds. This presentation will report on the results achieved so far in the project.

The channel radius and energy of cloud-to-ground lightning discharge plasma with multiple return strokes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Xuejuan; Yuan, Ping; Cen, Jianyong

2014-03-15

Using the spectra of a cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash with multiple return strokes and combining with the synchronous radiated electrical field information, the linear charge density, the channel radius, the energy per unit length, the thermal energy, and the energy of dissociation and ionization in discharge channel are calculated with the aid of an electrodynamic model of lightning. The conclusion that the initial radius of discharge channel is determined by the duration of the discharge current is confirmed. Moreover, the correlativity of several parameters has been analyzed first. The results indicate that the total intensity of spectra is positive correlatedmore » to the channel initial radius. The ionization and thermal energies have a linear relationship, and the dissociation energy is correlated positively to the ionization and thermal energies, the energy per unit length is in direct proportion to the square of initial radius in different strokes of one CG lightning.« less

Lightning studies using LDAR and LLP data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forbes, Gregory S.

1993-01-01

This study intercompared lightning data from LDAR and LLP systems in order to learn more about the spatial relationships between thunderstorm electrical discharges aloft and lightning strikes to the surface. The ultimate goal of the study is to provide information that can be used to improve the process of real-time detection and warning of lightning by weather forecasters who issue lightning advisories. The Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) System provides data on electrical discharges from thunderstorms that includes cloud-ground flashes as well as lightning aloft (within cloud, cloud-to-cloud, and sometimes emanating from cloud to clear air outside or above cloud). The Lightning Location and Protection (LLP) system detects primarily ground strikes from lightning. Thunderstorms typically produce LDAR signals aloft prior to the first ground strike, so that knowledge of preferred positions of ground strikes relative to the LDAR data pattern from a thunderstorm could allow advance estimates of enhanced ground strike threat. Studies described in the report examine the position of LLP-detected ground strikes relative to the LDAR data pattern from the thunderstorms. The report also describes other potential approaches to the use of LDAR data in the detection and forecasting of lightning ground strikes.

Lightning attachment process to common buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saba, M. M. F.; Paiva, A. R.; Schumann, C.; Ferro, M. A. S.; Naccarato, K. P.; Silva, J. C. O.; Siqueira, F. V. C.; Custódio, D. M.

2017-05-01

The physical mechanism of lightning attachment to grounded structures is one of the most important issues in lightning physics research, and it is the basis for the design of the lightning protection systems. Most of what is known about the attachment process comes from leader propagation models that are mostly based on laboratory observations of long electrical discharges or from observations of lightning attachment to tall structures. In this paper we use high-speed videos to analyze the attachment process of downward lightning flashes to an ordinary residential building. For the first time, we present characteristics of the attachment process to common structures that are present in almost every city (in this case, two buildings under 60 m in São Paulo City, Brazil). Parameters like striking distance and connecting leaders speed, largely used in lightning attachment models and in lightning protection standards, are revealed in this work.