RUI: A Wide-Area Array of Detectors to Measure the Energy Spectrum of Lightning-Generated X-Rays and the Atmospheric Conditions that Support Them

闪电是雷暴期间大气中大量电介质的击穿，是一个需要研究和解释的戏剧性过程。引起闪电的机制和闪电在风暴中产生的机制是复杂的，仍然是积极研究的领域。事实上，理解闪电被认为是大气物理学中尚未解决的重大问题之一。这项研究旨在调查闪电的一个特别有趣的特征，这个特征直到最近才被实验证实——闪电产生x射线。为了实现这一目标，将在蒙茅斯学院和整个伊利诺伊州西部和爱荷华州东部的高中建造并部署10个x射线/闪电探测器阵列，这将长期积累闪电、x射线、e场和大气数据。有明确的证据表明，大型地面探测器阵列可以测量自然闪电的x射线光谱。当产生的光谱与电场和气象数据相结合时，就可以对闪电、闪电产生的x射线和产生它们的风暴有重要的了解。智力价值：本研究的目标是测量自然闪电的能谱，同时记录电场强度和气象数据。以下具体和重要的问题将在本研究中解决。1)自然闪电产生的x射线的能谱是什么？2)哪些风暴会产生闪电，哪些不会，它们有什么不同？3)如何利用闪电产生的x射线的能谱和环境条件来了解闪电是如何产生的？4)如何使用闪电产生的x射线的能谱来测试闪电形成和传播的模型？更广泛的影响：通过测量x射线光谱，同时记录其他数据，可以对理解闪电和形成闪电的风暴做出重大贡献。这些数据将是促进这种理解的重要组成部分。该项目还通过其外联部分产生广泛影响。本科生和高中生将在获取和分析数据方面发挥积极作用。这项研究将在许多地方收集长时间的数据，并为一所小型本科学院提供相当大的推广机会。像这样的研究经验是可靠的教学方法，将允许大学教师以新的和创造性的方式吸引学生。

Lightning, the massive dielectric breakdown of the atmosphere that occurs during thunderstorms, is a dramatic process that demands study and explanation. The mechanisms that cause lightning and the mechanisms by which lightning proceeds in storms are complex and still areas of active study. In fact, understanding lightning is considered one of the great-unsolved problems of atmospheric physics. This research seeks to investigate a particularly intriguing feature of lightning that was verified experimentally only recently - the production of X-rays by lightning.To achieve this goal, an array of 10 X-Ray/lightning detectors will be built and deployed at Monmouth College and at high schools throughout western Illinois and eastern Iowa, which will accumulate lightning, X-ray, E-field and atmospheric data for long time periods. There is clear evidence that a large ground based detector array can measure X-ray spectra from natural lightning. When the resulting spectra are combined with electric field and meteorological data, significant understandings of lightning, lightning generated X-rays and the storms that produce them can be obtained.Intellectual Merit: The goal of this research is to measure the energy spectrum of natural lightning while recording data on electric field strength and meteorological data. The following specific and important questions will be addressed in this study.1) What is the energy spectrum of natural lightning generated X-rays?2) Which storms produce lightning generated X-rays, which don't, and how are they different?3) How can the energy spectrum of lightning generated X-rays and environmental conditions be used to understand how lightning is generated?4) How can the energy spectrum of lightning generated X-rays be used to test models of lightning formation and propagation?Broader Impact: By measuring the X-ray spectra while recording other data, significant contributions to understanding lightning and the storms that form lightning can be made. These data will be an important part of advancing this understanding.The project also has broad impact through its outreach component. Undergraduate and high-school students will play an active role in both taking and analyzing data. This study will collect data for extended periods of time at many locations and provides a small undergraduate college a considerable outreach opportunity. Research experiences like this are sound pedagogy and will allow college faculty to engage students in new and creative ways.