The Spontaneous Nature of Lightning Initiation Revealed
Abstract
Here, we present new radio interferometer beamforming observations of lightning initiation using data from the Low‐Frequency Array (LOFAR). We show that the first lightning source in the flash increases exponentially in intensity by two orders of magnitude in 15 μs, while propagating 88 m away from the initiation location at a constant speed of 4.8 ± 0.1 × 106 m/s. A second source replaces the first source at the initiation location, and subsequent propagation of the lightning leader follows. We interpret the first source to be a rapidly propagating and intensifying positive streamer discharge that subsequently produces a hot leader channel near the initiation point. How lightning initiates is one of the greatest unsolved problems in the atmospheric sciences, and these results shed light on this longstanding mystery.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Dec 06, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1029/2021gl095511
Entities
People
- A. Nelles
- Brian M. Hare
- C. Sterpka
- J. R. Dwyer
- Ningyu Liu
- Olaf Scholten
- S. Buitink
- S. Ter Veen
Organizations
- ASTRON
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Radboud University Nijmegen
- University of Groningen
- University of New Hampshire
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel