A High-Speed Time-Resolved Spectroscopic Study of the Lightning Return Stroke: Part II. A Quantitative Analysis

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Abstract
A quantitative analysis has been completed of the first time-resolved spectra of return strokes. All values refer to approximately a 10-m section of the return-stroke channel. Ten return-stroke spectra, eight with 5-μsec resolution and two with 2-μsec resolution, have been analyzed to determine their temperature-time curves. The peak temperature in five of the ten spectra is in the 28,000–31,000 K range despite the use of different slitless spectrographs and different multiplet intensity ratios for the measurements. The highest peak temperature was calculated to be 36,000 K. Temperature errors are on the order of 10–25%. A temperature rise in two of the strokes has been calculated in the first 10 μsec from data having 5-μsec resolution. The two recorded strokes with 2-μsec resolution have monotonically decreasing temperature-time curves. It is shown that if the number density of a particular emitting species is known, the relative channel radius within which the particular radiators are contained... Abstract A quantitative analysis has been completed of the first time-resolved spectra of return strokes. All values refer to approximately a 10-m section of the return-stroke channel. Ten return-stroke spectra, eight with 5-μsec resolution and two with 2-μsec resolution, have been analyzed to determine their temperature-time curves. The peak temperature in five of the ten spectra is in the 28,000–31,000 K range despite the use of different slitless spectrographs and different multiplet intensity ratios for the measurements. The highest peak temperature was calculated to be 36,000 K. Temperature errors are on the order of 10–25%. A temperature rise in two of the strokes has been calculated in the first 10 μsec from data having 5-μsec resolution. The two recorded strokes with 2-μsec resolution have monotonically decreasing temperature-time curves. It is shown that if the number density of a particular emitting species is known, the relative channel radius within which the particular radiators are contained...

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