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High Peak‐Current Lightning Discharges Associated With Downward Terrestrial Gamma‐Ray Flashes
Author(s) -
Wada Y.,
Enoto T.,
Nakamura Y.,
Morimoto T.,
Sato M.,
Ushio T.,
Nakazawa K.,
Yuasa T.,
Yonetoku D.,
Sawano T.,
Kamogawa M.,
Sakai H.,
Furuta Y.,
Makishima K.,
Tsuchiya H.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1029/2019jd031730
Subject(s) - lightning (connector) , thunderstorm , gamma ray , atmospheric sciences , polarity (international relations) , environmental science , physics , astrophysics , pulse (music) , polarity symbols , meteorology , climatology , geology , optics , power (physics) , chemistry , biochemistry , breakdown voltage , quantum mechanics , voltage , detector , cell
During 2017–2018 winter operation of the Gamma‐Ray Observation of Winter Thunderclouds experiment in Japan, two downward terrestrial gamma‐ray flashes (TGFs) that triggered atmospheric photonuclear reactions were detected. They took place during winter thunderstorms on 5 December 2017 and 9 January 2018 at Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Each event coincided with an intracloud/intercloud discharge, which had a negative‐polarity peak current higher than 150 kA. Their radio waveforms in the low‐frequency band are categorized as a distinct lightning type called “energetic in‐cloud pulse” (EIP). Negative‐polarity EIPs have been previously suggested to be highly associated with downward TGFs, and the present observations provide evidence of the correlation between them for the first time. Furthermore, both of the downward TGFs followed “gamma‐ray glows,” minute‐lasting high‐energy emissions from thunderclouds. It is suggested that the negative EIPs took place with downward propagating negative leaders or upward positive ones developed in highly electrified regions responsible for the gamma‐ray glows.