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Observations of the initial stage of a rocket‐and‐wire‐triggered lightning discharge
Author(s) -
Zhang Yang,
Krehbiel Paul R.,
Zhang Yijun,
Lu Weitao,
Zheng Dong,
Xu Liangtao,
Huang Zhigang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl072843
Subject(s) - rocket (weapon) , lightning (connector) , flash (photography) , interferometry , physics , meteorology , aerospace engineering , materials science , optics , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , engineering
Observations have been obtained of the initial stage of a rocket‐and‐wire‐triggered lightning flash with a high‐resolution broadband VHF interferometer. The discharge produced 54 precursor current pulses (PCPs) over 883 ms during the rocket's ascent. The interferometer observations show that the PCPs were produced by breakdown at the ascending tip of the rocket, and that individual PCPs were produced by weak upward positive breakdown over meters‐scale distances, followed by more energetic, fast downward negative breakdown over several tens of meters distance. The average propagation speeds were ~5 × 10 6 m s −1 and ~3 × 10 7 m s −1 , respectively. The sustained upward positive leader (UPL) was initiated by a rapid, repetitive burst of 14 precursor pulses. Upon initiation, the VHF radiation abruptly became continuous with time. Significantly, breakdown during the UPL appeared to extend the discharge in a similar manner to that of the precursor pulses.