Related papers: Electron Acceleration Mechanisms in Thunderstorms
Various particle accelerators operate in the space plasmas, filling the Galaxy with high energy particles, primary cosmic rays. Reaching the atmosphere of the earth, these particles originate extensive air showers consisting of millions of…
We present a survey of more than half a thousand thunderstorm ground enhancements, fluxes of electrons, and gamma rays associated with thunderstorms registered from 2008 to 2022 at Aragats space environmental center. We analyze correlations…
Terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) are very short bursts of gamma radiation associated to thunderstorm activity and are the manifestation of the highest-energy natural particle acceleration phenomena occurring on Earth. Photon energies up…
Terrestrial Gamma ray Flashes (TGFs) -- very short, intense bursts of electrons, positrons, and energetic photons originating from terrestrial thunderstorms -- have been detected with satellite instruments. TETRA, an array of NaI(Tl)…
This work presents a unified conceptual and observational framework that reinterprets these radiation bursts as manifestations of the same runaway processes happening at different atmospheric depths (Dual-stage model, DSM). We review recent…
Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are short intense flashes of gamma rays associated with lightning activity in thunderstorms. Using Monte Carlo simulations of the relativistic runaway electron avalanche (RREA) process, theoretical…
We show that atmospheric electric fields may affect the cosmic ray observations in several ways and may lead to an overestimation of the cosmic ray energies. The electric field in thunderclouds can be as high as a few kV/cm. This field can…
Production of runaway electron avalanches and gamma rays originating inside Martian dust storms are studied using Monte Carlo simulations. In the absence of in situ measurements, we use theoretical predictions of electric fields inside dust…
Proceeding from a stormy day of 22 September 2022, when 7 thunderstorm ground enhancements occurred (TGEs, 3 of them very large), we perform an analysis of the most important conditions, on which depend the origination of the large particle…
During thunderstorms, the atmospheric electric field can increase above hundreds of kV/m, causing an acceleration in the charged particles of secondary cosmic rays. Such an acceleration causes avalanche processes in the atmosphere,…
Relativistic Runaway Electron Avalanches (RREA) are central to understanding a spectrum of high-energy atmospheric phenomena, including Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs), Thunderstorm Ground Enhancements (TGEs), and gamma-ray glows.…
Relativistic runaway electron avalanches (RREAs) are generally accepted as a source of thunderstorms gamma-ray radiation. Avalanches can multiply in the electric field via the relativistic feedback mechanism based on processes with…
Thunderstorms and the lightning that they produce are inherently interesting phenomena that have intrigued scientists and mankind in general for many years. The study of thunderstorms has rapidly advanced during the past century and many…
Downward Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) are sub-millisecond bursts of MeV gamma rays produced in thunderclouds. According to the Relativistic Runaway Electron Avalanche model, gamma rays are produced, via bremsstrahlung, from electron…
Relativistic runaway electron avalanches (RREAs) imply a large multiplication of high energy electrons (~1 MeV). Two factors are necessary for this phenomenon: a high electric field sustained over a large distance and an energetic particle…
Thunderstorms and lightnings are natural particle accelerator systems. Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, caused by relativistic runaway electron avalanches, produce bursts of $X$ and $\gamma$ rays, energetic enough to produce photo-nuclear…
High-energy gamma radiation in the Earth's atmosphere is associated with the bremsstrahlung of Relativistic Runaway Electron Avalanches (RREA) developing in thunderstorm electric fields. In this paper, RREA development is studied in the…
During thunderstorms on 2008 September 20, a simultaneous detection of gamma rays and electrons was made at a mountain observatory in Japan located 2770 m above sea level. Both emissions, lasting 90 seconds, were associated with…
Relativistic runaway electron avalanches (RREA) accelerated by thunderstorm large-scale electric fields are one of the sources of atmospheric gamma radiation. In strong electric fields, RREAs can multiply by the relativistic feedback.…
We discuss the possibility of observing ultra high energy cosmic ray sources inhigh energy gamma rays. Protons propagating away from their accelerators produce secondary electrons during interactions with cosmic microwave background…