2,103 research outputs found
Investigation of initiation of gigantic jets connecting thunderclouds to the ionosphere
The initiation of giant electrical discharges called as "gigantic jets"
connecting thunderclouds to the ionosphere is investigated by numerical
simulation method in this paper. Using similarity relations, the triggering
conditions of streamer formation in laboratory situations are extended to form
a criterion of initiation of gigantic jets. The energy source causing a
gigantic jet is considered due to the quasi-electrostatic field generated by
thunderclouds. The electron dynamics from ionization threshold to streamer
initiation are simulated by the Monte Carlo technique. It is found that
gigantic jets are initiated at a height of ~18-24 km. This is in agreement with
the observations. The method presented in this paper could be also applied to
the analysis of the initiation of other discharges such as blue jets and red
sprites.Comment: 12th International Congress on Plasma Physics, 25-29 October 2004,
Nice (France
Observation of thundercloud-related gamma rays and neutrons in Tibet
During the 2010 rainy season in Yangbajing (4300 m above sea level) in Tibet, China, a long-duration count enhancement associated with thunderclouds was detected by a solar-neutron telescope and neutron monitors installed at the Yangbajing Comic Ray Observatory. The event, lasting for ∼40 min, was observed on July 22, 2010. The solar-neutron telescope detected significant γ-ray signals with energies >40 MeV in the event. Such a prolonged high-energy event has never been observed in association with thunderclouds, clearly suggesting that electron acceleration lasts for 40 min in thunderclouds. In addition, Monte Carlo simulations showed that >10 MeV γ rays largely contribute to the neutron monitor signals, while >1 keV neutrons produced via a photonuclear reaction contribute relatively less to the signals. This result suggests that enhancements of neutron monitors during thunderstorms are not necessarily clear evidence for neutron production, as previously thought
Experimental Evidence of Giant Electron - Gamma Bursts Generated by Extensive Atmospheric Showers in Thunderclouds
The existence of a new phenomena - giant electron-gamma bursts is
established. The bursts are generated in thunderclouds as a result of the
combined action of runaway breakdown and extensive atmosphere showers (RB-EAS).
The experiments were fulfilled at the Tien Shan Mountain Scientific Station
using EAS-Radio installation. This specially constructed installation consists
of a wide spread EAS trigger array and a high time resolution
radiointerferometer.Comment: 30 pages, 16 figure
Termination of Electron Acceleration in Thundercloud by Intra/Inter-cloud Discharge
An on-ground observation program for high energy atmospheric phenomena in
winter thunderstorms along Japan Sea has been performed via measurements of
gamma-ray radiation, atmospheric electric field and low-frequency radio band.
On February 11, 2017, the radiation detectors recorded gamma-ray emission
lasting for 75 sec. The gamma-ray spectrum extended up to 20 MeV and was
reproduced by a cutoff power-law model with a photon index of
, being consistent with a Bremsstrahlung radiation from a
thundercloud (as known as a gamma-ray glow and a thunderstorm ground
enhancement). Then the gamma-ray glow was abruptly terminated with a nearby
lightning discharge. The low-frequency radio monitors, installed 50 km
away from the gamma-ray observation site recorded leader development of an
intra/inter-cloud discharge spreading over 60 km area with a 300 ms
duration. The timing of the gamma-ray termination coincided with the moment
when the leader development of the intra/inter-cloud discharge passed 0.7 km
horizontally away from the radiation monitors. The intra/inter-cloud discharge
started 15 km away from the gamma-ray observation site. Therefore, the
glow was terminated by the leader development, while it did not trigger the
lightning discharge in the present case.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Geophysical Research
Letter
Finite element simulation of thunderstorm electrodynamics in the proximity of the storm
Observations of electric fields, Maxwell current density, and air conductivity over thunderstorms were presented. The measurements were obtained using electric field mils and conductivity probes installed on a U2 aircraft as the aircraft passed approximately directly over an active thunderstorm at an altitude of 18 to 20 km. Accurate electrical observations of this type are rare and provide important information to those involved in numerically modeling a thunderstorm. A preliminary set of computer simulations based on this data were conducted and are described. The simulations show good agreement with measurements and are used to infer the thundercloud's charging current and amount of charge exchanged per flash
Creation of regions for dialect features using a cellular automaton
An issue in dialect research has been how to make generalizations from survey data about where some dialect feature might be found. Pre-computational methods included drawing isoglosses or using shadings to indicate areas where an analyst expected a feature to be found. The use of computers allowed for faster plotting of locations where any given feature had been e¬licited, and also allowed for the use of statistical techniques from technical geography to estimate regions where particular features might be found. However, using the computer did not make the analysis less subjective than isoglosses, and statistical methods from technical geography have turned out to be limited in use. We have prepared a cellular automaton (CA) for use with data collected for the Linguistic Atlas Project that can address the problems involved in this type of data visualization. The CA plots the locations where survey data was elicited, and then through the application of rules creates an estimate of the spatial distributions of selected features. The application of simple rules allows the CA to create objective and reproducible estimates based on the data it was given, without the use of statistical methods
Thunderclouds and accretion discs: a model for the spectral and temporal variability of Seyfert 1 galaxies
X-ray observations of Seyfert 1 galaxies offer the unique possibility of
observing spectral variability on timescales comparable to the dynamical time
of the inner accretion flow. They typically show highly variable lightcurves,
with Power Density Spectra characterized by `red noise' and a break at low
frequencies. Time resolved spectral analysis have established that spectral
variability on the shortest timescales is important in all these sources, with
the spectra getting softer at high fluxes. Here we present a model that is able
to explain a number of the above mentioned properties in terms of magnetic
flares shining above a standard accretion disc and producing the X-ray spectrum
via inverse Compton scattering soft photons (both intrinsic and reprocessed
thermal emission from the accretion disc and locally produced synchrotron
radiation). We show that the fundamental heating event, likely caused by
magnetic reconnection, must be compact, with typical size comparable to the
accretion disc thickness and must be triggered at a height at least an order of
magnitude larger than its size; the spatial and temporal distribution of flares
are not random: the heating of the corona proceeds in correlated trains of
events in an avalanche fashion. The amplitude of the avalanches obeys a
power-law distribution and determines the size of the active regions where the
spectrum is produced. With our model we simulate X-ray lightcurves that
reproduce the main observational properties of the Power Density Spectra and of
the X-ray continuum short-term variability of Seyfert 1 galaxies. By comparing
them with observations of MGC--6-30-15, we are able to infer that the corona in
this source must have a large optical depth (tau >1.5) and small average
covering fraction.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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