The rarity of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes

D. M. Smith; J. R. Dwyer; B. J. Hazelton; B. W. Grefenstette; G. F.M. Martinez-Mckinney; Z. Y. Zhang; A. W. Lowell; N. A. Kelley; M. E. Splitt; S. M. Lazarus; W. Ulrich; M. Schaal; Z. H. Saleh; E. Cramer; H. K. Rassoul; S. A. Cummer; G. Lu; R. J. Blakeslee

doi:10.1029/2011GL046875

The rarity of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes

D. M. Smith, J. R. Dwyer, B. J. Hazelton, B. W. Grefenstette, G. F.M. Martinez-Mckinney, Z. Y. Zhang, A. W. Lowell, N. A. Kelley, M. E. Splitt, S. M. Lazarus, W. Ulrich, M. Schaal, Z. H. Saleh, E. Cramer, H. K. Rassoul, S. A. Cummer, G. Lu, R. J. Blakeslee

Division of Medical Physics

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43 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report on the first search for Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) from altitudes where they are thought to be produced. The Airborne Detector for Energetic Lightning Emissions (ADELE), an array of gamma-ray detectors, was flown near the tops of Florida thunderstorms in August/September 2009. The plane passed within 10 km horizontal distance of 1213 lightning discharges and only once detected a TGF. If these discharges had produced TGFs of the same intensity as those seen from space, every one should have been seen by ADELE. Separate and significant nondetections are established for intracloud lightning, negative cloud-to-ground lightning, and narrow bipolar events. We conclude that TGFs are not a primary triggering mechanism for lightning. We estimate the TGF-to-flash ratio to be on the order of 10^-2 to 10^-3 and show that TGF intensities cannot follow the well-known power-law distribution seen in earthquakes and solar flares, due to our limits on the presence of faint events.

Original language	English
Article number	L08807
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	38
Issue number	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL046875
State	Published - Apr 28 2011

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Smith, D. M., Dwyer, J. R., Hazelton, B. J., Grefenstette, B. W., Martinez-Mckinney, G. F. M., Zhang, Z. Y., Lowell, A. W., Kelley, N. A., Splitt, M. E., Lazarus, S. M., Ulrich, W., Schaal, M., Saleh, Z. H., Cramer, E., Rassoul, H. K., Cummer, S. A., Lu, G., & Blakeslee, R. J. (2011). The rarity of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes. Geophysical Research Letters, 38(8), Article L08807. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL046875

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title = "The rarity of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes",

abstract = "We report on the first search for Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) from altitudes where they are thought to be produced. The Airborne Detector for Energetic Lightning Emissions (ADELE), an array of gamma-ray detectors, was flown near the tops of Florida thunderstorms in August/September 2009. The plane passed within 10 km horizontal distance of 1213 lightning discharges and only once detected a TGF. If these discharges had produced TGFs of the same intensity as those seen from space, every one should have been seen by ADELE. Separate and significant nondetections are established for intracloud lightning, negative cloud-to-ground lightning, and narrow bipolar events. We conclude that TGFs are not a primary triggering mechanism for lightning. We estimate the TGF-to-flash ratio to be on the order of 10-2 to 10-3 and show that TGF intensities cannot follow the well-known power-law distribution seen in earthquakes and solar flares, due to our limits on the presence of faint events.",

author = "Smith, {D. M.} and Dwyer, {J. R.} and Hazelton, {B. J.} and Grefenstette, {B. W.} and Martinez-Mckinney, {G. F.M.} and Zhang, {Z. Y.} and Lowell, {A. W.} and Kelley, {N. A.} and Splitt, {M. E.} and Lazarus, {S. M.} and W. Ulrich and M. Schaal and Saleh, {Z. H.} and E. Cramer and Rassoul, {H. K.} and Cummer, {S. A.} and G. Lu and Blakeslee, {R. J.}",

year = "2011",

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Smith, DM, Dwyer, JR, Hazelton, BJ, Grefenstette, BW, Martinez-Mckinney, GFM, Zhang, ZY, Lowell, AW, Kelley, NA, Splitt, ME, Lazarus, SM, Ulrich, W, Schaal, M, Saleh, ZH, Cramer, E, Rassoul, HK, Cummer, SA, Lu, G & Blakeslee, RJ 2011, 'The rarity of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 38, no. 8, L08807. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL046875

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T1 - The rarity of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes

AU - Smith, D. M.

AU - Dwyer, J. R.

AU - Hazelton, B. J.

AU - Grefenstette, B. W.

AU - Martinez-Mckinney, G. F.M.

AU - Zhang, Z. Y.

AU - Lowell, A. W.

AU - Kelley, N. A.

AU - Splitt, M. E.

AU - Lazarus, S. M.

AU - Ulrich, W.

AU - Schaal, M.

AU - Saleh, Z. H.

AU - Cramer, E.

AU - Rassoul, H. K.

AU - Cummer, S. A.

AU - Lu, G.

AU - Blakeslee, R. J.

PY - 2011/4/28

Y1 - 2011/4/28

N2 - We report on the first search for Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) from altitudes where they are thought to be produced. The Airborne Detector for Energetic Lightning Emissions (ADELE), an array of gamma-ray detectors, was flown near the tops of Florida thunderstorms in August/September 2009. The plane passed within 10 km horizontal distance of 1213 lightning discharges and only once detected a TGF. If these discharges had produced TGFs of the same intensity as those seen from space, every one should have been seen by ADELE. Separate and significant nondetections are established for intracloud lightning, negative cloud-to-ground lightning, and narrow bipolar events. We conclude that TGFs are not a primary triggering mechanism for lightning. We estimate the TGF-to-flash ratio to be on the order of 10-2 to 10-3 and show that TGF intensities cannot follow the well-known power-law distribution seen in earthquakes and solar flares, due to our limits on the presence of faint events.

AB - We report on the first search for Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) from altitudes where they are thought to be produced. The Airborne Detector for Energetic Lightning Emissions (ADELE), an array of gamma-ray detectors, was flown near the tops of Florida thunderstorms in August/September 2009. The plane passed within 10 km horizontal distance of 1213 lightning discharges and only once detected a TGF. If these discharges had produced TGFs of the same intensity as those seen from space, every one should have been seen by ADELE. Separate and significant nondetections are established for intracloud lightning, negative cloud-to-ground lightning, and narrow bipolar events. We conclude that TGFs are not a primary triggering mechanism for lightning. We estimate the TGF-to-flash ratio to be on the order of 10-2 to 10-3 and show that TGF intensities cannot follow the well-known power-law distribution seen in earthquakes and solar flares, due to our limits on the presence of faint events.

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SN - 0094-8276

VL - 38

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

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M1 - L08807

ER -

The rarity of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes

Abstract

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