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FAST PHOTOMETRIC IMAGING OF
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Index
Contents
Dedication
Abstract
Acknowledgements
List of Figures
1. Introduction
1.1 Units and fundamental equations
1.2 Thunderstorms and cloud-to-ground lightning
1.3 Electrical environment of the nighttime upper atmosphere
1.4 Contributions
2. Lightning Direct Coupling
2.1 Electrical discharges in weakly ionized gases
2.1.1 Definitions
2.1.2 Breakdown scaling laws
2.1.3 Inelastic collisions
2.1.4 Streamer breakdown and other energetic processes
2.1.5 VLF absorption and reflection
2.2 Heating of the lower ionosphere by the lightning electromagnetic pulse: elves
2.2.1 Theoretical studies of elves
2.2.2 Experimental optical studies of elves
2.3 Lightning quasielectrostatic fields and mesospheric discharges: sprites
History and nomenclature
The diffuse region of sprites
Corona streamers in sprites
ELF determination of current moments
Spectral studies
2.4 Electromagnetic model
2.4.1 Heating
2.4.2 Ionization
2.4.3 Optical emissions
2.5 Model Results
2.5.1 Ionization changes in the lower ionosphere
2.5.2 Early/fast VLF perturbations
2.5.3 Multiple events
3. Instrumentation and Atmospheric Propagation
3.1 ELF and VLF sferic recordings
3.2 Atmospheric optical propagation
3.2.1 Cloud and Rayleigh-scattering: temporal considerations
3.2.2 Scattering and absorption as a function of wavelength
3.2.3 Atmospheric refraction
3.3 Broadband photometry
3.3.1 Surface Brightness
3.3.2 Calibration
3.3.3 Band brightness at the source
3.4 The Fly's Eye
3.4.1 Pointing Calibration
3.4.2 Intensity Calibration
3.5 Intensified CCD video recordings
3.5.1 GPS time stamping
3.5.2 High speed video
3.5.3 Star-field matching
4. Photometry of Elves
4.1 Identification of lightning, elves, and sprites
4.1.1 Modeled optical signatures
4.1.2 Observed photometric signatures
4.1.3 Discrimination of elves from Rayleigh-scattered lightning
4.1.4 Video signatures of elves
4.2 Correlation with positive and negative lightning strokes
4.3 Determination of flash location using high-resolution timing
4.4 Distribution of elves throughout large storm systems
4.5 Two-color photometry
5. Combined Photometry and Imagery of Sprites
5.1 Sprite halos
5.1.1 Modeled optical signatures
5.1.2 High speed video observations
5.1.3 Sprite halos in normal-rate video
5.1.4 Sprites and elves in photometry
5.1.5 Dependence on the ambient electron density
5.1.6 Independence of sprite halos and streamer breakdown
5.2 Sprite polarity
5.2.1 Observations
5.2.2 Discussion
5.3 Exponential optical decay and steady electric fields
5.3.1 Timescales in sprite photometry
5.3.2 Observations of exponential optical decay
5.3.3 Steady electric currents
5.3.4 Steady electric fields and streamer velocities
6. Conclusions and Suggestions
6.1 Conclusions
Indirect measurement of ionization
Remote sensing of the electric field
Discrimination of 1 ms flashes
Verification of theoretical models
Ubiquity of sprites and elves
6.2 Further Research
Three-dimensional modeling of VLF propagation past diffuse sprite regions: Early/fast events
Telescopic high-speed video
Multi-anode photometric arrays
Bibliography
Index
About this document ...
Christopher Barrington Leigh