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Nanosecond Electromagnetic Pulses Generated by Electric Discharges: Observation With Clouds of Charged Water Droplets and Implications for Lightning
Author(s) -
Gushchin M. E.,
Korobkov S. V.,
Zudin I. Yu.,
Nikolenko A. S.,
Mikryukov P. A.,
Syssoev V. S.,
Sukharevsky D. I.,
Orlov A. I.,
Naumova M. Yu.,
Kuznetsov Yu. A.,
Belov A. S.,
Shvets N. N.,
Mareev E. A.
Publication year - 2021
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 - 10.1029/2020gl092108
Subject(s) - lightning (connector) , electromagnetic pulse , electromagnetic radiation , physics , microwave , electric field , spark gap , waveform , electromagnetic spectrum , electromagnetic interference , thunderstorm , radiation , electromagnetic compatibility , optics , computational physics , meteorology , electrical engineering , voltage , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , engineering
Effects of lightning‐induced generation of high‐frequency and microwave radiation are of great interest for studying fundamental physics of lightning and its applications for monitoring of the thunderstorm activity and protection of equipment against electromagnetic interference. Ultrawideband electromagnetic pulses (UWB EMPs) of spark discharges about 1 m long were detected in a frequency band of up to 10 GHz in laboratory experiments using a cloud of water droplets charged up to the electric potential exceeding 1 MV. Electromagnetic pulses with characteristic front buildup durations from 50 to 100 ps were produced by streamer flashes, at the stage of leader propagation and the main stage of the discharge (i.e., the return stroke). Electric and magnetic fields of pulses were measured, and the radiation polarization was determined. The UWB EMP waveforms and the spectra obtained experimentally are consistent with colliding streamer models.