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Needle-like structures discovered on positively charged lightning branches

Author

Listed:
  • B. M. Hare

    (University of Groningen)

  • O. Scholten

    (University of Groningen
    Vrije Universiteit Brussels)

  • J. Dwyer

    (University of New Hampshire)

  • T. N. G. Trinh

    (University of Groningen)

  • S. Buitink

    (Vrije Universiteit Brussel
    Radboud University Nijmegen)

  • S. Veen

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • A. Bonardi

    (Radboud University Nijmegen)

  • A. Corstanje

    (Radboud University Nijmegen)

  • H. Falcke

    (Vrije Universiteit Brussels
    ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
    NIKHEF, Science Park Amsterdam)

  • J. R. Hörandel

    (Radboud University Nijmegen
    NIKHEF, Science Park Amsterdam)

  • T. Huege

    (Vrije Universiteit Brussel
    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Nuclear Physics)

  • P. Mitra

    (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

  • K. Mulrey

    (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

  • A. Nelles

    (Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
    DESY)

  • J. P. Rachen

    (Radboud University Nijmegen)

  • L. Rossetto

    (Radboud University Nijmegen)

  • P. Schellart

    (Radboud University Nijmegen
    Princeton University)

  • T. Winchen

    (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

  • J. Anderson

    (Technical University of Berlin
    Geodesy GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences)

  • I. M. Avruch

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
    Science and Technology)

  • M. J. Bentum

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
    Eindhoven University of Technology)

  • R. Blaauw

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • J. W. Broderick

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • W. N. Brouw

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
    University of Groningen)

  • M. Brüggen

    (University of Hamburg)

  • H. R. Butcher

    (Australian National University)

  • B. Ciardi

    (Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics)

  • R. A. Fallows

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • E. Geus

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
    SmarterVision BV)

  • S. Duscha

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • J. Eislöffel

    (Thüringer Landessternwarte)

  • M. A. Garrett

    (The University of Manchester
    Leiden Observatory, Leiden University)

  • J. M. Grießmeier

    (LPC2E—Université d’Orleans/CNRS
    Université d’Orleans, OSUC)

  • A. W. Gunst

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • M. P. Haarlem

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • J. W. T. Hessels

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
    University of Amsterdam)

  • M. Hoeft

    (Thüringer Landessternwarte)

  • A. J. Horst

    (The George Washington University)

  • M. Iacobelli

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • L. V. E. Koopmans

    (University of Groningen)

  • A. Krankowski

    (University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Space Radio-Diagnostics Research Centre)

  • P. Maat

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • M. J. Norden

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • H. Paas

    (Center for Information Technology (CIT), University of Groningen)

  • M. Pandey-Pommier

    (Université d’Orleans, OSUC
    CRAL, Observatoire de Lyon, Université Lyon, UMR5574)

  • V. N. Pandey

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
    University of Groningen)

  • R. Pekal

    (Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (PCSS))

  • R. Pizzo

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • W. Reich

    (Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie)

  • H. Rothkaehl

    (Space Research Center PAS)

  • H. J. A. Röttgering

    (Leiden Observatory, Leiden University)

  • A. Rowlinson

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
    University of Amsterdam)

  • D. J. Schwarz

    (Fakultät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld)

  • A. Shulevski

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • J. Sluman

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • O. Smirnov

    (Rhodes University
    SKA South Africa)

  • M. Soida

    (Jagiellonian University, Astronomical Observatory)

  • M. Tagger

    (LPC2E—Université d’Orleans/CNRS)

  • M. C. Toribio

    (Leiden Observatory, Leiden University)

  • A. Ardenne

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

  • R. A. M. J. Wijers

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • R. J. van Weeren

    (Leiden Observatory, Leiden University)

  • O. Wucknitz

    (Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie)

  • P. Zarka

    (LESIA & USN, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, PSL/SU/UPMC/UPD/SPC)

  • P. Zucca

    (ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)

Abstract

Lightning is a dangerous yet poorly understood natural phenomenon. Lightning forms a network of plasma channels propagating away from the initiation point with both positively and negatively charged ends—called positive and negative leaders1. Negative leaders propagate in discrete steps, emitting copious radio pulses in the 30–300-megahertz frequency band2–8 that can be remotely sensed and imaged with high spatial and temporal resolution9–11. Positive leaders propagate more continuously and thus emit very little high-frequency radiation12. Radio emission from positive leaders has nevertheless been mapped13–15, and exhibits a pattern that is different from that of negative leaders11–13,16,17. Furthermore, it has been inferred that positive leaders can become transiently disconnected from negative leaders9,12,16,18–20, which may lead to current pulses that both reconnect positive leaders to negative leaders11,16,17,20–22 and cause multiple cloud-to-ground lightning events1. The disconnection process is thought to be due to negative differential resistance18, but this does not explain why the disconnections form primarily on positive leaders22, or why the current in cloud-to-ground lightning never goes to zero23. Indeed, it is still not understood how positive leaders emit radio-frequency radiation or why they behave differently from negative leaders. Here we report three-dimensional radio interferometric observations of lightning over the Netherlands with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. We find small plasma structures—which we call ‘needles’—that are the dominant source of radio emission from the positive leaders. These structures appear to drain charge from the leader, and are probably the reason why positive leaders disconnect from negative ones, and why cloud-to-ground lightning connects to the ground multiple times.

Suggested Citation

  • B. M. Hare & O. Scholten & J. Dwyer & T. N. G. Trinh & S. Buitink & S. Veen & A. Bonardi & A. Corstanje & H. Falcke & J. R. Hörandel & T. Huege & P. Mitra & K. Mulrey & A. Nelles & J. P. Rachen & L. R, 2019. "Needle-like structures discovered on positively charged lightning branches," Nature, Nature, vol. 568(7752), pages 360-363, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:568:y:2019:i:7752:d:10.1038_s41586-019-1086-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1086-6
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Shengxin Huang & Weijiang Chen & Zhong Fu & Yufei Fu & Nianwen Xiang & Xinjie Qiu & Weidong Shi & Dengfeng Cheng & Zhiyuan Zhang, 2022. "Separate luminous structures leading positive leader steps," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Wang, Lingxiao & Hare, Brian M. & Zhou, Kai & Stöcker, Horst & Scholten, Olaf, 2023. "Identifying lightning structures via machine learning," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    3. Xinyu Ma & Zhaoyu Cai & Chijie Zhuang & Xiangdong Liu & Zhecheng Zhang & Kewei Liu & Bo Cao & Jinliang He & Changxi Yang & Chengying Bao & Rong Zeng, 2024. "Integrated microcavity electric field sensors using Pound-Drever-Hall detection," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.

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