Gamma-Ray Localization of Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes
Abstract
Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes (TGFs) are very short bursts of high energy photons and electrons originating in Earth's atmosphere. We present here a localization study of TGFs carried out at gamma-ray energies above 20 MeV based on an innovative event selection method. We use the AGILE satellite Silicon Tracker data that for the first time have been correlated with TGFs detected by the AGILE Mini-Calorimeter. We detect 8 TGFs with gamma-ray photons of energies above 20 MeV localized by the AGILE gamma-ray imager with an accuracy of 5-10 degrees at 50 MeV. Remarkably, all TGF-associated gamma rays are compatible with a terrestrial production site closer to the sub-satellite point than 400 km. Considering that our gamma rays reach the AGILE satellite at 540 km altitude with limited scattering or attenuation, our measurements provide the first precise direct localization of TGFs from space.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1009.5544,
title = {Gamma-Ray Localization of Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes},
author = {M. Marisaldi and A. Argan and A. Trois and A. Giuliani and M. Tavani and C. Labanti and F. Fuschino and A. Bulgarelli and F. Longo and G. Barbiellini and E. Del Monte and E. Moretti and M. Trifoglio and E. Costa and P. Caraveo and P. W. Cattaneo and A. Chen and F. D'Ammando and G. De Paris and G. Di Cocco and G. Di Persio and I. Donnarumma and Y. Evangelista and M. Feroci and A. Ferrari and M. Fiorini and T. Froysland and M. Galli and F. Gianotti and I. Lapshov and F. Lazzarotto and P. Lipari and S. Mereghetti and A. Morselli and L. Pacciani and A. Pellizzoni and F. Perotti and P. Picozza and G. Piano and M. Pilia and M. Prest and G. Pucella and M. Rapisarda and A. Rappoldi and A. Rubini and S. Sabatini and P. Soffitta and E. Striani and E. Vallazza and S. Vercellone and V. Vittorini and A. Zambra and D. Zanello and L. A. Antonelli and S. Colafrancesco and S. Cutini and P. Giommi and F. Lucarelli and C. Pittori and P. Santolamazza and F. Verrecchia and L. Salotti},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1009.5544},
year = {2010}
}
Comments
5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, available at http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v105/i12/e128501