Fractal Structure of the Nonlinear Dynamics of Electric Charge in a Thundercloud

We study the fractal dynamics of the intracloud space charge during the preliminary stage of a lightning discharge, when the so-called drainage system of charge collection from the entire cloud volume is formed. The drainage system is a basis for the initiation of the leader channel of the lightning. This system is formed due to the appearance of electric microdischarges related to the nonlinear stage of the development of an instability of beam-plasma type. The latter is modeled using a two-dimensional lattice of finite-state automata. The results of numerical simulations show that the developed drainage system belongs to the percolation-cluster family. We point out the parameter region relevant to the proposed model, in which the thundercloud exhibits the behavior corresponding to the regime of self-organized criticality. A method for calculating the radio emission from the intracloud microdischarges is proposed, which allows one to compare directly our theoretical model and the experimental data.     

闪电的分形特征研究及其在自动识别中的应用

利用2009年夏季青海地区的快电场变化测量仪的野外观测资料, 对120例地闪和77例云闪辐射场信号的分形特征进行了深入研究, 结果表明地闪辐射场信号的分形维数与云闪辐射场信号的分形维数有明显的差别, 再利用闪电的分形维特征, 构造了5个特征值, 将其作为支持向量机的输入进行地闪和云闪不同放电类型的识别, 有效识别率达到95%以上; 通过构造地闪辐射场时间序列信号的分形维数轨迹图表明分形维数最低点对应于原时间序列的回击位置, 利用分形维数轨迹中的最低点的位置能够快速准确地对地闪辐射场信号的回击点进行检测, 检测率可达到100%. 分形维是闪电的一种具有鉴别性的特征, 可用于闪电的智能分析与自动化处理. 关键词： 闪电信号 分形维数 支持向量机 自动识别     

Modeling the development of the stepped leader of a lightning discharge

A stochastic-deterministic model is presented for the propagation of a downward-moving leader. Lightning formation is described by a stochastic growth of branching discharge channels which is determined by the electrostatic field. The dynamics of the electric field and of the charge distribution over the lightning structure are calculated deterministically. The model includes the initiation of lightning, a preliminary discharge in a cloud, the propagation of a downwardmoving stepped leader toward the earth, and the initiation and upward motion of a return stroke from the earth’s surface. Numerical execution of the model yields a dynamic picture of the development of the downward-moving leader and of the intracloud discharge structure. The effect of the charge density in the cloud and the parameters of the developing channels on the spatial-temporal, current, and charge characteristics of the stepped leader’s propagation are studied. The effect of free-standing structures on the distribution of points on the earth’s surface where lightning strikes is examined. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 48–53 (April 1999)     

Electric fields from model lightning discharges in a neutral atmosphere

The electric fields created by lightning discharges in a neutral atmosphere are calculated in the time representation. It is shown that asymmetric strokes containing horizontal currents can generate pronounced pulsed electric fields. A high-power quasistatic field can influence the middle atmosphere together with pulses. The motion of the current wave in a complex-geometry stroke channel can lead to an increase in the number of emitted pulses. At the periphery of the lightning cell, upon the arrival of the pulse, the electric field vector turns upward, to the stroke axis, and sideward. We also expect an increase in atmospheric turbulence due to convection at the frontal part of the cloud. The emerging inhomogeneities of the atmospheric temperature and density can facilitate the onset of plasma processes generated by the electric field of a strong thunderstorm. Since convection and the focusing electric fields are concentrated at the periphery, their joint action can lead to the appearance of circular and prolate luminous formations. Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics of the National Academy of Sciences, Khar’kov, Ukraine; The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 41, No. 6, pp. 699–722, June, 1998.     

基于RAMS V6.0的非感应起电机制评估和雷暴初期电荷结构模拟

数值模式是研究雷暴内起电和电荷结构的重要工具. 本文将Takahashi (1978) 和Saunders (1991) 两种主流非感应起电机制加入最新版本的中尺度模式RAMS(Version 6.0), 建立了一个区域大气-电耦合中尺度雷暴云模式, 据此对发生于北京的一次雷暴过程首次放电前的电荷结构和水成物粒子起电情况进行了较成功的模拟. 结果表明, Takahashi (1978) 和Saunders (1991)方案模拟的雷暴电荷结构在电场达到击穿阈值时均呈现三极性特征, 但Takahashi和Saunders方案模拟的雷暴电荷结构演变过程有一定的差异, Takahashi方案的电荷结构从起电到放电都是三极性特征, Saunders方案的电荷结构从反偶极性演变为三极性. 此外, 两种方案的模拟结果均表明雨滴是雷暴云低层的正电荷载体, 聚合物和霰是高层的主要电荷载体, 霰的电荷中心分布形态与雷暴云的总电荷分布形态相似.     

Influence of thunderstorm atmospheric conditions on the properties of ball lightning

Rank-correlation methods are used to investigate the influence of thunderstorm atmospheric conditions on the lifetime (observation time) and diameter of ball lightning on the basis of an analysis of observations from the Stakhanov-Cole-Bychkov ball lightning PC database. For the analysis ball lightning events are ranked by diameter, the weather conditions are ranked in relation to humidity, which correlates with the charge state of the atmosphere, and thunderstorm conditions are ranked in relation to the electric field of the atmospheric ground layer. A statistical analysis shows that the lifetime and diameter of ball lightning decrease under conditions of increasing humidity and increasing electric field. The plausibility of this result from the standpoint of various existing ball lightning models is discussed. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 117–122 (April 1997)     

Neutron Activity of Thunderstorm Storm

The results of measurements of the diffusion neutron flux from the thunderstorm storm occurred in Moscow in the night from July 13 to 14, 2016 at a distance ~30 km from detectors are presented. An increase in the frequency of coincidences of four channels of two scintillation detectors by ~10% with respect to coincidences in the absence of thunderstorm is found. The neutron yield in a single lightning discharge is estimated as ~10¹⁰ n/s.     

基于VHF辐射源短基线定位系统对闪电放电过程的研究

利用闪电VHF辐射源短基线定位系统2009年东北大兴安岭地区的观测资料,对正、负地闪和云闪放电过程中的VHF辐射源进行了定位研究.根据闪电VHF辐射源的二维位置(方位角和仰角)随时间的演变特征,结合同步观测的快、慢电场变化资料分析发现,持续时间较长的地闪预击穿过程在云中的放电通道呈双层结构,预击穿过程结束阶段的云内放电表现为反冲流光,预击穿过程的平均速度在10⁴m/s量级.预击穿过程为梯级先导的发展提供了必要的条件,梯级先导从预击穿起始位置开始并向下发展,产生较强的辐射,平均速度在10⁵m/s量级.K过程主要是流光沿之前已电离通道的传输.正、负地闪回击阶段前后的放电特征有明显不同,正地闪回击之后,连续电流期间的较长时间的云内放电产生较强的VHF辐射.对闪电在125---200MHz频段范围的VHF辐射频谱特征的统计分析发现,辐射能量呈现出幅值随频率增加而减小的趋势,在通带范围上基本遵循f^-2.9的衰减率递减.     

New Physical Mechanism for Lightning

The article is devoted to electromagnetic phenomena in the atmosphere. The set of experimental data on the thunderstorm activity is analyzed. It helps to identify a possible physical mechanism of lightning flashes. This mechanism can involve the formation of metallic bonds in thunderclouds. The analysis of the problem is performed at a microphysical level within the framework of quantum mechanics. The mechanism of appearance of metallic conductivity includes the resonant tunneling of electrons along resonance-percolation trajectories. Such bonds allow the charges from the vast cloud charged subsystems concentrate quickly in lightning channel. The formation of metal bonds in the thunderstorm cloudiness is described as the second-order phase transition. A successive mechanism for the process of formation and development of the lightning channel is suggested. This mechanism is associated with the change in the orientation of crystals in growing electric field. Possible consequences of the quantum-mechanical mechanism under discussion are compared with the results of observations.     

飑线系统中的闪电辐射源分布特征及云内电荷结构讨论

本文利用SAFIR3000闪电定位资料和多普勒天气雷达资 料分析了2010年6月13日发生于北京的飑线 系统中的闪电活动特征并讨论了电荷结构, 发现闪电都集中分布在飑线的前部线状强回波区域内, 仅在消散阶段在层云降水回波内发生的闪电数目明显增加. 通过闪电分布与降水的关系研究发现, 总闪电与对流降水整体相关系数达到了0.82, 云闪与对流降水的整体相关系数为0.76, 表明闪电的发生与雷暴云内动力和微物理过程密切相关. 基于闪电的辐射源分布特征, 讨论了飑线内电荷分布特征. 研究结果表明在飑线成熟阶段, 闪电辐射源密度的分布呈现出双层结构的分布特征, 下部的闪电辐射源中心位于4 km高度处, 上部的辐射源中心位于11 km高度处, 根据闪电双向先导的传输方式, 闪电辐射源密度高值区对应于负先导在正电荷区的传播, 飑线对流云区内总体呈现出中间为负电荷区, 上部和下部分别为正电荷区的三极性的电荷结构：上部正电荷区位于10–12 km高度处, 中部负电荷区位于8–10 km高度处, 下部正电荷区位于4–7 km高度处. 关键词： 飑线 闪电辐射源 电荷结构 SAFIR3000     

The interaction between a lightning flash and an aircraft in flight

Roughly speaking, every commercial airliner is struck by lightning once per year. Thus, the lightning strike to aircraft is not uncommon and it poses an appreciable threat to flight safety. The understanding of the lightning strike to aircraft has been greatly enhanced during the last years thanks to a comprehensive analysis of data collected from instrumented aircraft that have been flown into thunderstorm regions. In this article, we will start with the phenomenology of the lightning strike to aircraft and continue with going deeper into the underlying physics of selected processes during the strike. To cite this article: A. Larsson, C. R. Physique 3 (2002) 1423–1444.     

基于蒙特卡罗方法的卫星光学波段闪电辐射观测模拟

我国下一代静止气象卫星风云四号将首次搭载光学闪电成像仪上天,对闪电和与之相联系的强对流天气进行实时、连续观测。对未来风云四号卫星闪电观测资料的特性进行预先研究,一个重要的途径就是建立光学波段的闪电辐射传输模拟算法,对闪电辐射的物理过程及卫星观测到的闪电辐射光学特征进行模拟研究。结合风云四号卫星闪电成像仪观测的几何和波长参数,在构建简化的闪电光源模型和雷暴云模型的基础上,利用蒙特卡罗随机模拟和光子追踪方法,模拟得到了风云四号卫星闪电成像仪观测到的云顶闪电信号,并对其辐射特征进行了初步研究。结果表明,基于蒙特卡罗方法的闪电辐射传输模拟,可以从理论上揭示卫星光学波段闪电辐射观测与最重要影响参数之间的联系,这将为未来星载闪电资料的应用提供非常有价值的信息。     

基于小波的雷暴强放电前地面电场的多重分形分析

根据远离平衡的复杂系统演化的雪崩性和自相似倍增串级性，强调了多重分形工具的重要；利用青藏高原中部地区雷暴放电的地面电场仪资料，基于多重分形谱的小波估计方法，对强放电前雷电活动的多重分形特征进行了分析，发现多重分形谱可用推广的多重分形二项倍增串级模式描述，强放电前放电过程具有强烈的奇异性和明显的多重分形性，谱宽度Δα＞1.6，最小标度指数α_min＜-0.3；随着放电的活跃，Δα表现出明显的增加，而强的放电则发生在随后Δα的高值区或下降区，并对相关的原因进行了讨论. 关键词： 多重分形 雪崩 倍增串级 小波 闪电放电     

3维电介质击穿模型在雷电防护系统评估试验中的应用

采用荷电圆盘雷云解析模型作激励源,利用电介质击穿模型进行了地闪先导放电高分辨力3维数值模拟,得到了50 m分辨力的地闪放电图样与先导近地500 m时的地面电场分布（峰值-164.9 kV·m-1）,结果与实际观测值相符。模拟中通过高维样条插值实现了计算空间与评估区域的分辨力转换（50 m到1 m）,构建评估模型,可以进行雷电防护系统的数值评估试验。用该方案对一种雷电防护系统概念模型进行了试验,结果显示：系统10 m高、-1.5 MV激励的条件下,5 m高处的雷击概率以系统为中心随距离增加而增大,系统投影区域雷击概率为0;由于先导激励地面电场的非对称性,保护区范围各向分布极不均匀。通过此方案可以得到系统作用下精细的雷击概率分布,适用于雷电防护系统效能评估。     

Generation of neutrons in giant upward atmospheric discharges

It has been shown that the efficiency of the reactions of the fusion of deuterons in the atmosphere is very low; therefore, nuclear fusion cannot be responsible for the generation of neutrons by lightning. The generation of neutrons in thunderstorm fields is attributed to photonuclear reactions in giant upward atmospheric discharges over thunderclouds.     

3维电介质击穿模型在雷电防护系统评估试验中的应用

 采用荷电圆盘雷云解析模型作激励源,利用电介质击穿模型进行了地闪先导放电高分辨力3维数值模拟,得到了50 m分辨力的地闪放电图样与先导近地500 m时的地面电场分布（峰值-164.9 kV·m_-1）,结果与实际观测值相符。模拟中通过高维样条插值实现了计算空间与评估区域的分辨力转换（50 m到1 m）,构建评估模型,可以进行雷电防护系统的数值评估试验。用该方案对一种雷电防护系统概念模型进行了试验,结果显示：系统10 m高、-1.5 MV激励的条件下,5 m高处的雷击概率以系统为中心随距离增加而增大,系统投影区域雷击概率为0;由于先导激励地面电场的非对称性,保护区范围各向分布极不均匀。通过此方案可以得到系统作用下精细的雷击概率分布,适用于雷电防护系统效能评估。     

Tool measurements of thunderstorms in Yakutia in 2003–2006

We propose a technique for tool measurement of the lightning-discharge density in Yakutia in 2003–2006 by the radiophysical method using one- and two-point lightning detectors. The observed features of the spatio-temporal distribution and the parameters of thunderstorm cores are discussed. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 10, pp. 825–829, October 2008.     

The physical origin of the land–ocean contrast in lightning activity

New tests and older ideas are explored to understand the origin of the pronounced contrast in lightning between land and sea. The behavior of islands as miniature continents with variable area supports the traditional thermal hypothesis over the aerosol hypothesis for lightning control. The substantial land–ocean contrast in updraft strength is supported globally by TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) radar comparisons of mixed phase radar reflectivity. The land–ocean updraft contrast is grossly inconsistent with the land–ocean contrast in CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy), from the standpoint of parcel theory. This inconsistency is resolved by the scaling of buoyant parcel size with cloud base height, as suggested by earlier investigators. Strongly electrified continental convection is then favored by a larger surface Bowen ratio, and by larger, more strongly buoyant boundary layer parcels which more efficiently transform CAPE to kinetic energy of the updraft in the moist stage of conditional instability. To cite this article: E. Williams, S. Stanfill, C. R. Physique 3 (2002) 1277–1292.     

雷暴云内电场力对起电和电荷结构的反馈作用

利用美国国家强风暴实验室(NSSL)发展的耦合了详细起电机制和放电过程的中尺度电耦合数值模式WRF(weather research forecasting)-Elec,在NSSL云微物理双参数化方案中增加了电场力对霰、雹粒子降落末速度的影响,完善了WRF-Elec模式的物理过程,建立了双向耦合WRF-Elec模式.利用改进后的WRF-Elec模式,通过敏感性数值实验,定量分析了雷暴云内电场力对起电和电荷结构的反馈作用.结果发现:雷暴云发展旺盛阶段,由于电场力作用,霰、雹粒子质量加权平均降落末速度的瞬时变化极值可以超过4 m/s,但这种情况仅出现在雷暴云内局部区域,并且维持时间较短;电场力对直径小且数浓度较低的霰和雹粒子影响较大,但这种影响不是由单一物理量决定,而是由电场强度和霰、雹粒子的电荷密度、极性以及粒子的直径与数浓度共同决定;电场力通过对霰、雹粒子降落末速度的调整,增强了雷暴云内感应、非感应起电率,且前者远大于后者,云内局部产生-0.6—1.2 n C/m~3总电荷密度的变化,从而使电荷结构重新分布,局部垂直电场强度增强5 k V/m,总闪电数增加,与此同时,雷暴云内降水粒子的微观增长过程也发生改变.总体上,电场力对雷暴云起电过程的作用为正反馈,电场力对雷暴云电荷结构的反馈作用不可忽略.     

Electrodynamics of a convective cloud

An attempt has been made to describe analytically the electrodynamics of a convective cloud on the basis of a one-dimensional convective cell with solid gas rotation. The cloud electrification is due to the interaction between heavy (large raindrops and particles of hail) and light (microparticles of water and ice) particles. As a result, the particles acquire unlike electric charges. The large-scale electric field in the cloud is stipulated by boundary effects and influences considerably the motion of the heavy fraction of aerosol particles. A scenario is proposed for the development of an intracloud charge, by which the large-scale electric field does not reach the breakdown value, staying at the level of the corona discharge field, while an increase in the irregular component of the electric field is continued and achieves the breakdown value in the small-scale electric cells induced by analogues of plasma beam instabilities. The basic electric discharge occurs against the background of multiple discharges inside the cell which provide for the leader lightning channel. Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 40, Nos. 1–2, pp. 123–137, January–February, 1997.