BALLOON-BASED HIGH-TIME RESOLUTION MEASUREMENTS OF X-RAY EMISSIONS FROM LIGHTNING
This is the final report of a three-year, Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The project consisted of a series of balloon flights to collect high-time-resolution x-ray and electric-field-change measurements in thunderstorms in order to validate the existence of the runaway air-breakdown mechanism during lightning and/or sprite production. The runaway air-breakdown mechanism is currently the leading theory to account for unexplained balloon and aircraft-based measurements of x-ray enhancements associated with sprites. Balloon-borne gamma-ray and electric-field-change instruments were launched into a daytime summer thunderstorm. A greater than three-fold increase in the gamma-ray flux was observed as the balloon descended through a thunderstorm anvil where a strong electric field was present. These observations suggest that gamma-ray production in thunderstorms may not be as uncommon as previously believed.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 768729
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-00-3855; TRN: AH200123%%337
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Aug 2000
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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