Relativistic electron avalanches as a thunderstorm discharge competing with lightning

Nicole A. Kelley (), David M. Smith, Joseph R. Dwyer, Michael Splitt, Steven Lazarus, Forest Martinez-McKinney, Bryna Hazelton, Brian Grefenstette, Alexander Lowell and Hamid K. Rassoul
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Nicole A. Kelley: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, 7 Gauss Way
David M. Smith: University of California
Joseph R. Dwyer: University of New Hampshire
Michael Splitt: Florida Institute of Technology
Steven Lazarus: Florida Institute of Technology
Forest Martinez-McKinney: University of California
Bryna Hazelton: University of Washington
Brian Grefenstette: Space Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Alexander Lowell: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, 7 Gauss Way
Hamid K. Rassoul: Florida Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Gamma-ray ‘glows’ are long duration (seconds to tens of minutes) X-ray and gamma-ray emission coming from thunderclouds. Measurements suggest the presence of relativistic runaway electron avalanches (RREA), the same process underlying terrestrial gamma-ray flashes. Here we demonstrate that glows are relatively a common phenomena near the tops of thunderstorms, when compared with events such as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes. Examining the strongest glow measured by the airborne detector for energetic emissions, we show that this glow is measured near the end of a downward RREA, consistent with occurring between the upper positive charge layer and the negative screening layer above it. The glow discharges the upper positive layer by ≥9.6 mA, strong enough to be an important charging mechanism of the storm. For this glow, the gamma-ray flux observed is close to the value at which relativistic feedback processes become important, with an avalanche multiplication factor of 4,500.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8845

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