Runaway breakdown in strong electric field as a source of terrestrial gamma flashes and gamma bursts in lightning leader steps

Gurevich, A.; Zybin, K. P.; Medvedev, Yu. V.

doi:10.1016/j.physleta.2006.05.063

Cited by 46 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…On the other hand, using the standard 1/δ dependence gives an avalanche length of 30 cm at δ = 100. Either way, these longer avalanche lengths violate the assumption used in the Gurevich et al (2007) paper that the avalanche length is small compared with the size of the streamer head. In addition, the 1 cm avalanche length for δ = 100 estimated by Gurevich et al (2007) implies an average runaway electron energy of no more than 218 keV, which disagrees with Monte Carlo calculation using ELIZA by Babich and Bochkov (2011), who found an average energy of 3.46 MeV at δ = 100.…”

Section: Thermal Runaway Electronsmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Several groups have modeled thermal runaway electron production from streamers, with applications to lightning and laboratory sparks (Moss et al 2006;Li et al 2009;Neubert 2008, 2010;Colman et al 2010;Celestin and Pasko 2011). Gurevich et al (2007) also modeled runaway electron production by lightning stepped leaders. In their paper, they described a two-step mechanism in which runaway electron avalanche multiplication in the high-field regime acts upon thermal runaway electrons generated by the lightning leader/streamers.…”

Section: Thermal Runaway Electronsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Later, Moss et al (2006) modeled the thermal runaway electron production by streamers, and showed that significant runaway electron production was plausible. Other theoretical work includes Celestin and Pasko (2011), who also modeled thermal runaway electron production at streamer heads, Gurevich et al (2007) who introduced a 2 step process (see Sect. 2.3 above), and Cooray et al (2010) who modeled runaway electron production in the low-density, hot dart leader channel.…”

Section: Detailed Investigationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High-Energy Atmospheric Physics: Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes and Related Phenomena

2012

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It is now well established that both thunderclouds and lightning routinely emit x-rays and gamma-rays. These emissions appear over wide timescales, ranging from submicrosecond bursts of x-rays associated with lightning leaders, to sub-millisecond bursts of gamma-rays seen in space called terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, to minute long glows from thunderclouds seen on the ground and in or near the cloud by aircraft and balloons. In particular, terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs), which are thought to be emitted by thunderclouds, are so bright that they sometimes saturate detectors on spacecraft hundreds of kilometers away. These TGFs also generate energetic secondary electrons and positrons that are detected by spacecraft in the inner magnetosphere. It is generally believed that these x-ray and gamma-ray emissions are generated, via bremsstrahlung, by energetic runaway electrons that are accelerated by electric fields in the atmosphere. In this paper, we review this newly emerging field of High-Energy Atmospheric Physics, including the production of runaway electrons, the production and propagation of energetic radiation, and the effects of both on atmospheric electrodynamics.

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Section: Thermal Runaway Electronsmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Thermal Runaway Electronsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Detailed Investigationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High-Energy Atmospheric Physics: Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes and Related Phenomena

2012

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“…However, the particles in the electromagnetic cascade of an EAS form a pancake-like structure due to lateral expansion of the EAS caused by the decay of neutral pions into two momentum-conserving gamma rays (Gurevich and Zybin, 2005;Gurevich et al, 2009;Milikh and Roussel-Dupré, 2010). Typically, an EAS has just a few meters along the direction of the primary cosmic ray's motion, but about 100-150 m across.…”

Section: V Surkov and M Hayakawa: Underlying Mechanisms Of Transmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The model of TGF production by runaway breakdown in a strong electric field at the tip of lightning leader channels has been recently studied (Trakhtengertz et al, 2002(Trakhtengertz et al, , 2003Gurevich et al, 2004Gurevich et al, , 2007Dwyer, 2008;Dwyer et al, 2010;Carlson et al, 2010;Celestin and Pasko, 2011). Another promising viewpoint on TGFs supposes that the gamma bursts are generated in thunderclouds as a result of the combined action of runaway breakdown and EASs (Gurevich and Zybin, 2004).…”

Section: V Surkov and M Hayakawa: Underlying Mechanisms Of Transmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underlying mechanisms of transient luminous events: a review

Сурков

Hayakawa

2012

Ann. Geophys.

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Abstract. Transient luminous events (TLEs) occasionally observed above a strong thunderstorm system have been the subject of a great deal of research during recent years. The main goal of this review is to introduce readers to recent theories of electrodynamics processes associated with TLEs. We examine the simplest versions of these theories in order to make their physics as transparent as possible. The study is begun with the conventional mechanism for air breakdown at stratospheric and mesospheric altitudes. An electron impact ionization and dissociative attachment to neutrals are discussed. A streamer size and mobility of electrons as a function of altitude in the atmosphere are estimated on the basis of similarity law. An alternative mechanism of air breakdown, runaway electron mechanism, is discussed. In this section we focus on a runaway breakdown field, characteristic length to increase avalanche of runaway electrons and on the role played by fast seed electrons in generation of the runaway breakdown. An effect of thunderclouds charge distribution on initiation of blue jets and gigantic jets is examined. A model in which the blue jet is treated as upward-propagating positive leader with a streamer zone/corona on the top is discussed. Sprite models based on streamer-like mechanism of air breakdown in the presence of atmospheric conductivity are reviewed. To analyze conditions for sprite generation, thunderstorm electric field arising just after positive cloudto-ground stroke is compared with the thresholds for propagation of positively/negatively charged streamers and with runway breakdown. Our own estimate of tendril's length at the bottom of sprite is obtained to demonstrate that the runaway breakdown can trigger the streamer formation. In conclusion we discuss physical mechanisms of VLF (very low frequency) and ELF (extremely low frequency) phenomena associated with sprites.

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

et al. 2014

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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.

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Runaway breakdown in strong electric field as a source of terrestrial gamma flashes and gamma bursts in lightning leader steps

Cited by 46 publications

References 21 publications

High-Energy Atmospheric Physics: Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes and Related Phenomena

High-Energy Atmospheric Physics: Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes and Related Phenomena

Underlying mechanisms of transient luminous events: a review

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

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