Commentary on fast atmospheric pulsations. Technical report
A recent paper proposed that Fast Atmospheric Light Pulsations (FAPs), which have been observed at L=1.5-2.2 in the northern hemisphere, are optical signatures of >2-MeV electrons associated with Lightning-induced Electron Precipitation (LEP) events produced by lightning strokes in the southern hemisphere. FAPs cannot be produced by >2-MeV electrons in the inner radiation belt because the upper limit for fluxes of such particles is only about 0.2% of the value that was used in the analysis and would lead to an unrealistically short electron lifetime. The discrepancy comes from using an electron model, AE-2, which included the Starfish fission electrons. Later inner-zone electron environment models show the inner-zone to have negligible fluxes of electrons in excess of 2 MeV. The use of a model in which southern hemisphere lightning strokes result in northern hemisphere FAPs via a cyclotron mode interaction between magnetospheric electrons and lightning generated waves is also untenable because it would result in FAP intensities two orders of magnitude greater in the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere, leading to a further two orders of magnitude reduction in estimated inner-zone electron lifetimes. The estimated light intensity of FAPs is within acceptable bounds compared to the lifetime of inner zone electrons if all electrons above 100 keV contribute to the light production, if southern hemisphere FAP intensity is no greater than the FAP intensity observed in the northern hemisphere, and if the light-production efficiency is of the order of .001.
- Research Organization:
- Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA (USA). Space Sciences Lab.
- OSTI ID:
- 6321286
- Report Number(s):
- AD-A-203172/2/XAB; TR-0088(3940-05)-6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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GENERAL PHYSICS
ELECTRON PRECIPITATION
LIGHTNING
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PULSATIONS
RADIATION BELTS
WHISTLERS
INTERACTIONS
PROGRESS REPORT
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
NOISE
RADIATIONS
RADIO NOISE
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
640201* - Atmospheric Physics- Auroral
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