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High altitude discharges and gamma‐ray flashes: A manifestation of runaway air breakdown
Author(s) -
Taranenko Yuri,
RousselDupré Robert
Publication year - 1996
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 - 10.1029/95gl03502
Subject(s) - plasma , altitude (triangle) , physics , atmospheric sciences , effects of high altitude on humans , environmental science , meteorology , nuclear physics , geometry , mathematics
γ‐ray flashes of atmospheric origin as well as blue jets and red sprites are naturally explained by high‐altitude discharges produced by runaway air breakdown. We present the first detailed model of the development of upward propagating discharges and compute optical and γ‐ray emissions that are in excellent agreement with observations. According to our theory, such discharges represent the first known manifestation of runaway air breakdown, a fundamental new process in plasma physics.