Lightning initiation - conventional and runaway - breakdown hypotheses

SOLOMON, R; SCHROEDER, V; BAKER, MB

doi:10.1256/smsqj.57808

Cited by 20 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…[21] To investigate the development of intracloud leaders, the charge amounts were adjusted so that the maximum E z values exceeded the critical field E c necessary for runaway breakdown [Gurevich and Zybin, 2001;Solomon et al, 2001]. The runaway threshold was exceeded over an approximate 2 km vertical depth above the main negative charge region.…”

Section: Expected Breakdown Speeds: a Simple Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[30] Such preconditioning would be provided by energetic electron avalanches. There is an increasing body of evidence, both theoretical and experimental, that electron avalanches occur in storms and can have important electrical effects [e.g., Gurevich et al, 1992;Gurevich and Zybin, 2001;Solomon et al, 2001;Eack et al, 1996]. The studies have focused on the details of the runaway breakdown and resulting ionization, and the role this might play in initiating lightning discharges.…”

Section: Effects Of Preconditioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[2] An important, unresolved question in understanding lightning concerns the manner in which discharges are initiated inside storms [e.g., Griffiths and Phelps, 1976;Solomon et al, 2001]. One way of investigating this question is to study the speed with which the initial breakdown propagates inside the cloud.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Initial leader velocities during intracloud lightning: Possible evidence for a runaway breakdown effect

et al. 2005

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[1] Using three-dimensional lightning mapping observations, the initial leaders of intracloud flashes have been found to start at a median speed of about 1.6 Â 10 5 m s À1 and to decelerate during the first 10-15 ms of the discharge. The results disagree with the predictions that the speed should increase with time as the developing leader shorts out an increasing potential difference in the storm. The observations can be explained if the flash initiation region is preconditioned in some manner to give a high initial speed and if the preconditioning decays with time and/or decreases with distance to give the observed speed decrease. Such preconditioning could be the result of ionization and excited molecules produced by energetic electron avalanches.

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Section: Expected Breakdown Speeds: a Simple Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effects Of Preconditioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Initial leader velocities during intracloud lightning: Possible evidence for a runaway breakdown effect

et al. 2005

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“…[3] Measurements in situ by balloons, aircraft, and rockets have found that the maximum electric field inside thunderclouds, scaled to the equivalent field at sea level, rarely exceeds about 4.0 Â 10 5 V/m, about one third the value required to initiate a conventional discharge, even when the effects of precipitation are included [MacGorman and Rust, 1998;Solomon et al, 2001]. This has led many researchers to speculate that if the electric fields do reach the level required for conventional breakdown, they do so in either localized regions or over very short time periods that are not likely to be observed with in situ measurements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote measurements of thundercloud electrostatic fields

Dwyer¹,

Uman²,

Rassoul³

2009

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] Analytical and numerical models of the radio frequency emissions produced by relativistic runaway electron avalanches initiated by cosmic ray extensive air showers are presented. It is found that single-point measurements of the distant electromagnetic fields allow the remote determination of the electrostatic field in the runaway electron avalanche region. For instance, it is possible to use ground-based and/or remote airborne measurements of the radio frequency pulses from the runaway electron avalanches to map the magnitudes and directions of the electrostatic field within a thundercloud for regions with electric fields above the runaway avalanche threshold. Such measurements, which are difficult to perform in situ, may help answer several key questions regarding lightning initiation, such as what electric fields are usually present when lightning initiates and whether electric fields in small regions ever reach the conventional breakdown field.

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“…[2] Thunderstorm electric fields are of great interest to many areas of geophysics. Lightning initiation [Solomon et al, 2001;Marshall et al, 2005], sprites [Sentman et al, 1995;Pasko et al, 1995], elves [Fukunishi et al, 1996;Inan et al, 1996], blue jets [Pasko et al, 1996], gigantic jets [Su et al, 2003], and terrestrial gamma-ray flashes [Fishman et al, 1994;Smith et al, 2005;Inan et al, 2006] are all directly involved with or are driven by these powerful electric fields. However, at present such fields can only be measured with local methods, either at ground level or by balloon-borne instruments launched near or within the cloud (see review by MacGorman and Rust [1998, chapter 7]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel technique for remote sensing of thunderstorm electric fields via the Kerr effect and sky polarization

Carlson¹,

Inan²

2008

Geophysical Research Letters

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[1] Quantitative knowledge of the magnitude as well as spatial and temporal structure of quasi-static electric fields above a thunderstorm, both prior to and immediately after a lightning discharge, is crucially important for understanding the electrodynamic effects of tropospheric weather on the upper atmosphere. At present, such electric fields are typically only measurable by balloon-or aircraft-borne electric field meters launched near, above, or into the cloud. We herein propose a new low-cost ground-based spatiallyand temporally-resolved technique for measurement of near-thunderstorm electric fields via electrically-induced birefringence (Kerr) effects on natural sky polarization, providing detection in clear air near or above thunderclouds. Such measurements would greatly help understand the effects of lightning and thunderstorms in the upper atmosphere, including sprites, blue jets, and terrestrial gamma-ray flashes. Citation: Carlson, B. E., and U. S. Inan (2008), A novel technique for remote sensing of thunderstorm electric fields via the Kerr effect and sky polarization, Geophys.

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Lightning initiation - conventional and runaway - breakdown hypotheses

Cited by 20 publications

References 0 publications

Initial leader velocities during intracloud lightning: Possible evidence for a runaway breakdown effect

Initial leader velocities during intracloud lightning: Possible evidence for a runaway breakdown effect

Remote measurements of thundercloud electrostatic fields

A novel technique for remote sensing of thunderstorm electric fields via the Kerr effect and sky polarization

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