HR: 1330h
AN: AE42A-0791    [PDF]
TI: Stratospheric Observations of X-rays Near a Thunderstorm
AU: * McCarthy, M P
EM: mccarthy@u.washington.edu
AF: University of Washington, Earth and Space Sciences Box 351310, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AU: Holzworth, R H
EM: bobholz@ess.washington.edu
AF: University of Washington, Earth and Space Sciences Box 351310, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AU: Thomas, J N
EM: jnt@ess.washington.edu
AF: University of Washington, Earth and Space Sciences Box 351310, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AU: Chinowsky, T C
EM: timc@u.washington.edu
AF: University of Washington, Department of Electrical Engineering, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AU: Taylor, M J
EM: mtaylor@cc.usu.edu
AF: Utah State University, Physics Dept, Logan, UT 84322 United States
AU: Pinto, O
EM: osmar@dge.inpe.br
AF: INPE, Av Astronautas 1758, San Jose dos Campos, SP 12227-010 Brazil
AB: A balloon, carrying up and down-viewing x-ray spectrometers, was launched from Cachoiera Paulista, Brazil on 6-Dec-2002 to study lightning and sprites from the stratosphere (35 km altitude). Each spectrometer acquired a spectrum every millisecond in the energy range 20 keV--600 keV. Over 190 CG strokes within 50 km horizontal distance of the balloon were identified by a ground-based lightning detection network while the balloon was at ceiling. We report on the general absence of x-ray emissions specifically associated with lightning, and set observational upper limits for the sprite/lightning associated x-ray flux. We also report upon a singular x-ray event, in which the down-going flux increased by a factor of nearly 5 for several seconds, but without nearby lightning.
DE: 0342 Middle atmosphere--energy deposition
DE: 3324 Lightning
SC: Atmospheric and Space Electricity [AE]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting