Probing Atmospheric Electric Fields in Thunderstorms through Radio Emission from Cosmic-Ray-Induced Air Showers
Abstract
We present measurements of radio emission from cosmic ray air showers that took place during thunderstorms. The intensity and polarization patterns of these air showers are radically different from those measured during fair-weather conditions. With the use of a simple two-layer model for the atmospheric electric field, these patterns can be well reproduced by state-of-the-art simulation codes. This in turn provides a novel way to study atmospheric electric fields.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- April 2015
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1504.05742
- Bibcode:
- 2015PhRvL.114p5001S
- Keywords:
-
- 92.60.Pw;
- 95.85.Ry;
- 96.50.sd;
- Atmospheric electricity lightning;
- Neutrino muon pion and other elementary particles;
- cosmic rays;
- Extensive air showers;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters