Converging Luminosity in Column‐Sprite Filaments
Abstract Sprites are electrical discharges in the mesosphere powered by the quasi‐electrostatic field following a cloud‐to‐ground lightning stroke. They are luminous structures with tendrils formed by a space charge wave with high electric fields that ionizes the atmosphere, excites optical emission...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090364 |
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| author | Z. Gomez Kuri S. Soula T. Neubert J. Mlynarczyk C. Köhn |
| author_facet | Z. Gomez Kuri S. Soula T. Neubert J. Mlynarczyk C. Köhn |
| author_sort | Z. Gomez Kuri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Sprites are electrical discharges in the mesosphere powered by the quasi‐electrostatic field following a cloud‐to‐ground lightning stroke. They are luminous structures with tendrils formed by a space charge wave with high electric fields that ionizes the atmosphere, excites optical emissions and leaves a trail of enhanced densities of electrons, and negative and positive ions. The duration of the luminous streamers in sprites is usually ∼1–10 ms. In this study, we present observations of sprite streamer filaments where the upper and lower ends continue to glow for more than 80 ms while the two ends slowly converge and fade. Simultaneous magnetic observations suggest that the field in the mesosphere is maintained at a high value by the long‐lasting continuing current of the causative stroke. We propose that the observation is a signature of currents in the filaments fed by electrons detached from negative ions at the lower origin. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f2e76df1b69d4eb2afde5d72d0ab8e23 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-f2e76df1b69d4eb2afde5d72d0ab8e232025-08-20T01:48:15ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072021-03-01486n/an/a10.1029/2020GL090364Converging Luminosity in Column‐Sprite FilamentsZ. Gomez Kuri0S. Soula1T. Neubert2J. Mlynarczyk3C. Köhn4Laboratoire d’Aérologie Université de Toulouse III CNRS Toulouse FranceLaboratoire d’Aérologie Université de Toulouse III CNRS Toulouse FranceNational Space Institute Technical University of Denmark Lyngby DenmarkDepartment of Electronics AGH University of Science and Technology Krakow PolandNational Space Institute Technical University of Denmark Lyngby DenmarkAbstract Sprites are electrical discharges in the mesosphere powered by the quasi‐electrostatic field following a cloud‐to‐ground lightning stroke. They are luminous structures with tendrils formed by a space charge wave with high electric fields that ionizes the atmosphere, excites optical emissions and leaves a trail of enhanced densities of electrons, and negative and positive ions. The duration of the luminous streamers in sprites is usually ∼1–10 ms. In this study, we present observations of sprite streamer filaments where the upper and lower ends continue to glow for more than 80 ms while the two ends slowly converge and fade. Simultaneous magnetic observations suggest that the field in the mesosphere is maintained at a high value by the long‐lasting continuing current of the causative stroke. We propose that the observation is a signature of currents in the filaments fed by electrons detached from negative ions at the lower origin.https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090364 |
| spellingShingle | Z. Gomez Kuri S. Soula T. Neubert J. Mlynarczyk C. Köhn Converging Luminosity in Column‐Sprite Filaments Geophysical Research Letters |
| title | Converging Luminosity in Column‐Sprite Filaments |
| title_full | Converging Luminosity in Column‐Sprite Filaments |
| title_fullStr | Converging Luminosity in Column‐Sprite Filaments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Converging Luminosity in Column‐Sprite Filaments |
| title_short | Converging Luminosity in Column‐Sprite Filaments |
| title_sort | converging luminosity in column sprite filaments |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090364 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zgomezkuri convergingluminosityincolumnspritefilaments AT ssoula convergingluminosityincolumnspritefilaments AT tneubert convergingluminosityincolumnspritefilaments AT jmlynarczyk convergingluminosityincolumnspritefilaments AT ckohn convergingluminosityincolumnspritefilaments |