Luminosity Coincident with Initial Breakdown Pulses in Lightning
Abstract
Time correlated high-speed video and electromagnetic data for 15 cloud-to-ground and intracloud lightning flashes reveal bursts of light, bright enough to be seen through intervening cloud, during the initial breakdown (IB) stage and within the first 3 ms after flash initiation. Each sudden increase in luminosity is coincident with a CG-type (12 cases) or IC-type (3 cases) IB pulse in fast electric field change records. Some of these IB pulses have a coincident VLF/LF (LINET) or a VHF (LDAR2) radiation source. The luminosity bursts of 14 CG flashes occur 11-340 ms before the first return stroke, at altitudes of 4-8 km, and at 4-41 km range from the camera. In seven cases, streamer-type linear segments visibly advance away from the first light burst for 55-200 μs, then the entire length dims, then the luminosity sequence repeats along the same path. These visible initial streamers lengthen intermittently to about 300-1500 m. Their estimated 2-D speeds are 4 to 18 x 10^5 m/s over the first few hundred microseconds and decrease by about 50% over the first 2 ms. In other cases, only a bright spot or a broad area of diffuse light, presumably scattered by intervening cloud, is visible. The bright area grows larger over 20-60 μs before the luminosity fades in about 100 μs, then this sequence may repeat several times. In several of the flashes a 1-2 ms period of little or no luminosity and small E-change is observed following the IB stage prior to stepped leader development. In this presentation we will show examples of the IB luminosity and coincident electromagnetic data.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012AGUFMAE11A..03S
- Keywords:
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- 3324 ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES / Lightning