skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: MUSIC for localization of thunderstorm cells

Conference ·
OSTI ID:10112613
;  [1];  [2]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
  2. Scientific Applications and Research Associates, Inc., Huntington Beach, CA (United States)

Lightning represents an event detectable optically, electrically, and acoustically, and several systems are already in place to monitor such activity. Unfortunately, such detection of lightning can occur too late, since operations need to be protected in advance of the first lightning strike. Additionally, the bolt itself can traverse several kilometers before striking the ground, leaving a large region of uncertainty as to the center of the storm and its possible strike regions. NASA Kennedy Space Center has in place an array of electric field mills that monitor the (effectively) DC electric field. Prior to the first lightning strike, the surface electric fields rise as the storm generator within a thundercloud begins charging. Extending methods we developed for an analogous source localization problem in mangnetoencephalography, we present Cramer-Rao lower bounds and MUSIC scans for fitting a point-charge source model to the electric field mill data. Such techniques can allow for the identification and localization of charge centers in cloud structures.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
10112613
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-93-4265; CONF-9311135-4; ON: DE94004985
Resource Relation:
Conference: Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) asilomar conference on signals, systems, and computers,Pacific Grove, CA (United States),1-3 Nov 1993; Other Information: PBD: [1993]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Analysis of lightning field changes during active Florida thunderstorms
Journal Article · Fri Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 1989 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) · OSTI ID:10112613

A case study of the Thunderstorm Research International Project storm of July 11, 1978. 1. Analysis of the data base
Journal Article · Fri Apr 20 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) · OSTI ID:10112613

A case study of the Thunderstorm Research International Project. 2. Interrelations among the observable parameters controlling electrification
Journal Article · Fri Apr 20 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) · OSTI ID:10112613