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Mesospheric electric field transients due to tropospheric lightning discharges
Author(s) -
Pasko Victor P.,
Inan Umran S.,
Bell Timothy F.
Publication year - 1999
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 - 10.1029/1999gl900240
Subject(s) - lightning (connector) , electric field , atmospheric electricity , meteorology , environmental science , context (archaeology) , atmospheric sciences , troposphere , range (aeronautics) , physics , geophysics , computational physics , geology , materials science , paleontology , power (physics) , composite material , quantum mechanics
A physical picture and quantitative two‐dimensional electromagnetic modeling of mesospheric electric field transients produced by cloud‐to‐ground (CG) lightning discharges with short duration currents (<0.5 ms) are presented. The range of applicability of existing quasi‐electrostatic models of sprites and the physical conditions under which relatively weak CG lightning discharges (thundercloud charge moment changes less than 50C×10 km) may initiate sprites are discussed in the context of recent experimental findings.