Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes and neutron pulses from direct simulations of gigantic upward atmospheric discharge
- 1 July 2007
- journal article
- Published by Pleiades Publishing Ltd in JETP Letters
- Vol. 85 (10) , 483-487
- https://doi.org/10.1134/s0021364007100037
Abstract
Gamma-ray pulses are calculated from 2D numerical simulations of upward atmospheric discharge in a self-consistent electric field using the multigroup approach to the kinetics of relativistic runaway electrons. Thecalculated numbers and spectra of γ-rays are consistent with the data on terrestrial γ-ray flashes observed aboard spacecraft. The calculated runaway electron flux is concentrated mainly within the domain of the blue jet fluorescence. This proves that exactly this domain is a source of the γ-ray flashes. One γ-ray flash generates ∼1014-1015 photonuclear neutrons.Keywords
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