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Šlegl J, Langer R, Brunclík T, Mašek P, Strhárský I, Ambrožová I, Chum J, Ploc O. SPECTROMETRY OF HIGH-ENERGY PHOTONS ON HIGH MOUNTAIN OBSERVATORY LOMNICKÝ ŠTÍT DURING THUNDERSTORMS. RADIATION PROTECTION DOSIMETRY 2022; 198:623-627. [PMID: 36005989 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncac108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Lomnický štít, Slovakia, 2634 m above sea level, is known to be a place of extreme electric fields measured during thunderstorms and is thus a suitable place for thunderstorm-related ionising radiation research. We present one of the strongest Thunderstorm ground enhancements (TGE) ever detected, which occurred on 12 September 2021. The TGE was detected with the SEVAN detector and also with the new Georadis RT-56 large volume gamma spectrometer. In the paper, we present spectra of the TGE measured with the spectrometer as well as SEVAN coincidence data supplemented by the data from electric field mill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Šlegl
- Nuclear Physics Institute of CAS, Husinec - Řež 130, 250 68 Řež, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Nuclear Physics and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague, Břehová 7, 115 19 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ronald Langer
- Nuclear Physics Institute of CAS, Husinec - Řež 130, 250 68 Řež, Czech Republic
- Institute of Experimental Physics of SAV, Watsonova 1935/47, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Tomáš Brunclík
- Georadis s.r.o., Novomoravanská 321/41 619 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Mašek
- Georadis s.r.o., Novomoravanská 321/41 619 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Igor Strhárský
- Institute of Experimental Physics of SAV, Watsonova 1935/47, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Iva Ambrožová
- Nuclear Physics Institute of CAS, Husinec - Řež 130, 250 68 Řež, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Chum
- Institute of Atmospheric Physics of CAS, Boční II 1401/1a, 141 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Ploc
- Nuclear Physics Institute of CAS, Husinec - Řež 130, 250 68 Řež, Czech Republic
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Wada Y, Enoto T, Nakazawa K, Furuta Y, Yuasa T, Nakamura Y, Morimoto T, Matsumoto T, Makishima K, Tsuchiya H. Downward Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flash Observed in a Winter Thunderstorm. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 123:061103. [PMID: 31491171 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.123.061103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
During a winter thunderstorm on 24 November 2017, a strong burst of gamma rays with energies up to ∼10 MeV was detected coincident with a lightning discharge, by scintillation detectors installed at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station at sea level in Japan. The burst had a subsecond duration, which is suggestive of photoneutron production. The leading part of the burst was resolved into four intense gamma-ray bunches, each coincident with a low-frequency radio pulse. These bunches were separated by 0.7-1.5 ms, with a duration of ≪1 ms each. Thus, the present burst may be considered as a "downward" terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF), which is analogous to upgoing TGFs observed from space. Although the scintillation detectors were heavily saturated by these bunches, the total dose associated with them was successfully measured by ionization chambers, employed by nine monitoring posts surrounding the power plant. From this information and Monte Carlo simulations, the present downward TGF is suggested to have taken place at an altitude of 2500±500 m, involving 8_{-4}^{+8}×10^{18} avalanche electrons with energies above 1 MeV. This number is comparable to those in upgoing TGFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Wada
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory, Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - T Enoto
- High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory, Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
- The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research and Department of Astronomy, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - K Nakazawa
- Kobayashi-Maskawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
| | - Y Furuta
- Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - T Yuasa
- Block 4B, Boon Tiong Road, Singapore 165004, Singapore
| | - Y Nakamura
- Kobe City College of Technology, 8-3 Gakuen-Higashimachi, Nishi-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-2194, Japan
| | - T Morimoto
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashiosaka, Osaka 577-8502, Japan
| | - T Matsumoto
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - K Makishima
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory, Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
- Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwa-no-ha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8683, Japan
| | - H Tsuchiya
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
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Østgaard N, Christian HJ, Grove JE, Sarria D, Mezentsev A, Kochkin P, Lehtinen N, Quick M, Al‐Nussirat S, Wulf E, Genov G, Ullaland K, Marisaldi M, Yang S, Blakeslee RJ. Gamma Ray Glow Observations at 20-km Altitude. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. ATMOSPHERES : JGR 2019; 124:7236-7254. [PMID: 31598449 PMCID: PMC6774313 DOI: 10.1029/2019jd030312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In the spring of 2017 an ER-2 aircraft campaign was undertaken over continental United States to observe energetic radiation from thunderstorms and lightning. The payload consisted of a suite of instruments designed to detect optical signals, electric fields, and gamma rays from lightning. Starting from Georgia, USA, 16 flights were performed, for a total of about 70 flight hours at a cruise altitude of 20 km. Of these, 45 flight hours were over thunderstorm regions. An analysis of two gamma ray glow events that were observed over Colorado at 21:47 UT on 8 May 2017 is presented. We explore the charge structure of the cloud system, as well as possible mechanisms that can produce the gamma ray glows. The thundercloud system we passed during the gamma ray glow observation had strong convection in the core of the cloud system. Electric field measurements combined with radar and radio measurements suggest an inverted charge structure, with an upper negative charge layer and a lower positive charge layer. Based on modeling results, we were not able to unambiguously determine the production mechanism. Possible mechanisms are either an enhancement of cosmic background locally (above or below 20 km) by an electric field below the local threshold or an enhancement of the cosmic background inside the cloud but then with normal polarity and an electric field well above the Relativistic Runaway Electron Avalanche threshold.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. Østgaard
- Birkeland Centre for Space ScienceUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | - H. J. Christian
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceUniversity of AlabamaHuntsvilleALUSA
| | - J. E. Grove
- U.S. Naval Research LaboratoryWashingtonDCUSA
| | - D. Sarria
- Birkeland Centre for Space ScienceUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | - A. Mezentsev
- Birkeland Centre for Space ScienceUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | - P. Kochkin
- Birkeland Centre for Space ScienceUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | - N. Lehtinen
- Birkeland Centre for Space ScienceUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | - M. Quick
- NASA Marshal Space Flight CenterHuntsvilleALUSA
| | - S. Al‐Nussirat
- Department of Physics and AstronomyLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLAUSA
| | - E. Wulf
- U.S. Naval Research LaboratoryWashingtonDCUSA
| | - G. Genov
- Birkeland Centre for Space ScienceUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | - K. Ullaland
- Birkeland Centre for Space ScienceUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | - M. Marisaldi
- Birkeland Centre for Space ScienceUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | - S. Yang
- Birkeland Centre for Space ScienceUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
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Catalog of 2017 Thunderstorm Ground Enhancement (TGE) events observed on Aragats. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6253. [PMID: 31000757 PMCID: PMC6472419 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42786-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The natural electron accelerator in the clouds above Aragats high-altitude research station in Armenia operates continuously in 2017 providing more than 100 Thunderstorm Ground enhancements (TGEs). Most important discovery based on analysis of 2017 data is observation and detailed description of the long-lasting TGEs. We present TGE catalog for 2 broad classes according to presence or absence of the high-energy particles. In the catalog was summarized several key parameters of the TGEs and related meteorological and atmospheric discharge observations. The statistical analysis of the data collected in tables reveals the months when TGEs are more frequent, the daytime when TGEs mostly occurred, the mean distance to lightning flash that terminates TGE and many other interesting relations. Separately was discussed the sharp count rate decline and following removal of high-energy particles from the TGE flux after a lightning flash. ADEI multivariate visualization and statistical analysis platform make analytical work on sophisticated problems rather easy; one can try and test many hypotheses very fast and come to a definite conclusion allowing crosscheck and validation
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Chilingarian A, Chilingaryan S, Karapetyan T, Kozliner L, Khanikyants Y, Hovsepyan G, Pokhsraryan D, Soghomonyan S. On the initiation of lightning in thunderclouds. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1371. [PMID: 28465545 PMCID: PMC5430999 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01288-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship of lightning and elementary particle fluxes in the thunderclouds is not fully understood to date. Using the particle beams (the so-called Thunderstorm Ground Enhancements – TGEs) as a probe we investigate the characteristics of the interrelated atmospheric processes. The well-known effect of the TGE dynamics is the abrupt termination of the particle flux by the lightning flash. With new precise electronics, we can see that particle flux decline occurred simultaneously with the rearranging of the charge centers in the cloud. The analysis of the TGE energy spectra before and after the lightning demonstrates that the high-energy part of the TGE energy spectra disappeared just after lightning. The decline of particle flux coincides on millisecond time scale with first atmospheric discharges and we can conclude that Relativistic Runaway Electron Avalanches (RREA) in the thundercloud assist initiation of the negative cloud to ground lightning. Thus, RREA can provide enough ionization to play a significant role in the unleashing of the lightning flash.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashot Chilingarian
- Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanyan Brothers, 0036, Yerevan, Armenia. .,National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Moscow, 115409, Russian Federation.
| | - Suren Chilingaryan
- Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanyan Brothers, 0036, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Tigran Karapetyan
- Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanyan Brothers, 0036, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Lev Kozliner
- Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanyan Brothers, 0036, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Yeghia Khanikyants
- Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanyan Brothers, 0036, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Gagik Hovsepyan
- Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanyan Brothers, 0036, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - David Pokhsraryan
- Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanyan Brothers, 0036, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Suren Soghomonyan
- Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanyan Brothers, 0036, Yerevan, Armenia
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Umemoto D, Tsuchiya H, Enoto T, Yamada S, Yuasa T, Kawaharada M, Kitaguchi T, Nakazawa K, Kokubun M, Kato H, Okano M, Tamagawa T, Makishima K. On-ground detection of an electron-positron annihilation line from thunderclouds. Phys Rev E 2016; 93:021201. [PMID: 26986281 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.93.021201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Thunderclouds can produce bremsstrahlung gamma-ray emission, and sometimes even positrons. At 00:27:00 (UT) on 13 January 2012, an intense burst of gamma rays from a thundercloud was detected by the GROWTH experiment, located in Japan, facing the Sea of Japan. The event started with a sharp gamma-ray flash with a duration of <300 ms coincident with an intracloud discharge, followed by a decaying longer gamma-ray emission lasting for ∼60 s. The spectrum of this prolonged emission reached ∼10 MeV, and contained a distinct line emission at 508±3(stat.)±5(sys.) keV, to be identified with an electron-positron annihilation line. The line was narrow within the instrumental energy resolution (∼80keV), and contained 520±50 photons which amounted to ∼10% of the total signal photons of 5340±190 detected over 0.1-10 MeV. As a result, the line equivalent width reached 280±40 keV, which implies a nontrivial result. The result suggests that a downward positron beam produced both the continuum and the line photons.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Umemoto
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - H Tsuchiya
- High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0193, Japan.,Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - T Enoto
- High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0193, Japan.,NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Astrophysics Science Division, Code 662, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - S Yamada
- Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami-Osawa 1-1, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - T Yuasa
- High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0193, Japan
| | - M Kawaharada
- Department of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan
| | - T Kitaguchi
- Department of Physical Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - K Nakazawa
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - M Kokubun
- Department of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan
| | - H Kato
- High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0193, Japan
| | - M Okano
- High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0193, Japan
| | - T Tamagawa
- High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0193, Japan
| | - K Makishima
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,MAXI Team, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0193, Japan
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7
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Relativistic electron avalanches as a thunderstorm discharge competing with lightning. Nat Commun 2015; 6:7845. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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8
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Luque A. Relativistic runaway ionization fronts. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 112:045003. [PMID: 24580462 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.112.045003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the first example of self-consistent impact ionization fronts propagating at relativistic speeds and involving interacting, high-energy electrons. These fronts, which we name relativistic runaway ionization fronts, show remarkable features such as a bulk speed within less than one percent of the speed of light and the stochastic selection of high-energy electrons for further acceleration, which leads to a power-law distribution of particle energies. A simplified model explains this selection in terms of the overrun of Coulomb-scattered electrons. Appearing as the electromagnetic interaction between electrons saturates the exponential growth of a relativistic runaway electron avalanche, relativistic runaway ionization fronts may occur in conjunction with terrestrial gamma-ray flashes and thus explain recent observations of long, power-law tails in the terrestrial gamma-ray flash energy spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Luque
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, IAA-CSIC, P.O. Box 3004, 18080 Granada, Spain
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Ringuette R, Case GL, Cherry ML, Granger D, Guzik TG, Stewart M, Wefel JP. TETRA observation of gamma-rays at ground level associated with nearby thunderstorms. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. SPACE PHYSICS 2013; 118:7841-7849. [PMID: 26167428 PMCID: PMC4497473 DOI: 10.1002/jgra.50712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2013] [Revised: 11/04/2013] [Accepted: 11/13/2013] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
[1] Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs)-very short, intense bursts of electrons, positrons, and energetic photons originating from terrestrial thunderstorms-have been detected with satellite instruments. TGF and Energetic Thunderstorm Rooftop Array (TETRA), an array of NaI(Tl) scintillators at Louisiana State University, has now been used to detect similar bursts of 50 keV to over 2 MeV gamma-rays at ground level. After 2.6 years of observation, 24 events with durations 0.02-4.2 ms have been detected associated with nearby lightning, three of them coincident events observed by detectors separated by ∼1000 m. Nine of the events occurred within 6 ms and 5 km of negative polarity cloud-to-ground lightning strokes with measured currents in excess of 20 kA. The events reported here constitute the first catalog of TGFs observed at ground level in close proximity to the acceleration site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Ringuette
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Gary L Case
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA ; Now at Department of Physics, La Sierra University Riverside, California, USA
| | - Michael L Cherry
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Douglas Granger
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - T Gregory Guzik
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Michael Stewart
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - John P Wefel
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
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