Possible scenarios for the initial acceleration of electrons of the core of ball lightning

Abstract

A model for the initial acceleration of electrons of the core of ball lightning is presented, according to which this acceleration occurs on screening of the strong electric field of the positive charge injected into the atmosphere. Several scenarios for such injection, the factors favourable for the formation of ball lightning and possible experiments on such formation are considered.

Hazards to Aircraft Crews, Passengers, and Equipment from Thunderstorm-Generated X-rays and Gamma-Rays

“…The accident happened near Maracaibo, Venezuela, in 1886 and resulted, in particular, in violent vomiting and the formation of black blotches on the skin of the sufferers. The sufferers did not report an observation of a fiery ball or similar object, but this fact does not contradict the assumption that they were injured by ball lightning, because it is possible that they could not see the object due to its dazzling light or for some other reason [30,55]. Stakhanov [47] mentioned a letter informing him, in particular, about the loss of hair and teeth after the passage of ball lightning near the author of the letter, but doubted its truth.…”

“…The detection of gamma-ray glows by ground-based or roof-mounted equipment is hampered by the absorption and scattering of photons by air, although this problem is reduced if observations are made at high-altitude mountain observatories or of thunderstorms with low-altitude charge-containing regions [4,5,13,14,[17][18][19][20][21]23,[26][27][28]30,31]. However, the altitudes at which commercial jet aircraft fly and the possibility of relatively short distances between the main region of the emission of high-energy photons and the aircraft mean that the aircraft are much less protected from such radiation by the air than is the case at ground level.…”

On physical investigation of ball lightnings

“…The long absence of an experimental confirmation of the nonrelativistic model (Shmatov 2003(Shmatov , 2015a does not give the authors sufficient grounds for distorting the experimentally obtained results of other authors in their review (Shmatov & Stephan 2019). The nonrelativistic hypothetical model (Shmatov 2003(Shmatov , 2015a) also requires experimental confirmation based on ready-made scenarios published by Shmatov (2015b). Good conditions for testing of the nonrelativistic model of the ball lightning are available at the Ioffe Institute where the model creator works.…”