Collaborative Research: Strategic Observations of Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes and Related Phenomena

合作研究：地面伽马射线闪光及相关现象的战略观测

• 批准号: 1935989
• 负责人: David Smith
• 金额: $ 65万
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Cruz
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-02-01 至 2023-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1935989&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Strategic; Observations; Terrestrial

This award supports investigation of understanding terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) generated among a small fraction of lightning flashes generated inside thunderstorms. TGFs are extraordinarily powerful bursts of gamma radiation; gamma-rays are particles of invisible light, similar to x-rays but in this case with energies up to about 100 times higher than the x-rays used by doctors and dentists. Although TGFs are rare, the consequences of a direct hit by one of these flashes to a plane full of people are significant. The crew and passengers could receive a very high, sudden dose of dangerous radiation, possibly enough to cause immediate radiation sickness and a significant risk of cancer later in life. An unsolved and interesting problem in atmospheric physics regarding to TGFs is how, why, and when TGFs are produced. The research team seeks understanding of how the gamma-rays get as bright as they do and why (fortunately) they only happen in maybe one out of a thousand lightning flashes based on their current understanding of the ``building blocks'' of a TGF and how high-energy radiation might naturally happen during lightning. The investigation will potentially enable the team to predict involvement of TGFs in lightning flashes that interact with aircraft and provide valuable information on aviation risks for public safety. In this project, the research team will deploy a number of gamma-ray detectors (previously constructed under funding from NSF, NASA, and the Air Force) to ground-based sites, aircraft, and high-altitude balloons in order to gather new data on TGFs in places they have been seen before, such as the western coast of Japan in winter, summer thunderstorms in Florida, and the eyewalls of hurricanes. Each site and the method of observation have been chosen for measurements of TGFs close to their production locations. One of the key observations will be how bright TGFs can get and how faint they get. Currently temporal variations of TGF radiation intensity predicted by leading models have significant uncertainty. To address this uncertainty with consideration of a possible series of rapid bursts of radiation intensity with time, the fast response detector of plastic scintillators for observing each gamma-ray interaction will be used to determine the correct model physics. Combining measurements of lightning characteristics (mostly via radio emission) with complementary meteorological data, the team would be able to understand not only the detailed behavior of lightning that produces TGFs, but also lightning data of similar high quality for situations where a TGF did not get produced, which is equally important to understand.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该奖项支持对了解陆上闪光闪光（TGFS）的了解，该次数在雷暴内部产生的一小部分闪电闪光灯中产生。 TGF是极力强大的伽马辐射爆发。伽玛射线是无形光的颗粒，类似于X射线，但在这种情况下，能量比医生和牙医使用的X射线高约100倍。尽管TGF很少见，但这些闪光灯之一直接击中了充满人的飞机的后果是重要的。机组人员和乘客可能会收到很高的危险辐射，这可能足以引起立即辐射疾病，并在以后的生活中造成癌症的重大风险。 关于TGF的大气物理学中的一个未解决且有趣的问题是如何，为什么以及何时产生TGF。研究团队寻求了解伽马射线如何变得像它们一样明亮，以及为什么（幸运的是）它们只有在一千次闪电闪烁中才能根据他们当前对TGF的``构建块''的理解以及在闪电期间自然而然地发生高能辐射。调查将有可能使团队能够预测TGF参与与飞机相互作用的闪电闪光灯，并提供有关公共安全航空风险的宝贵信息。在这个项目中，研究团队将部署许多伽马射线探测器（以前是在NSF，NASA和空军的资金下建造的），向地面地点，飞机和高空气球部署，以收集有关TGF的新数据，以便在冬季，夏季，夏季thundersormes in thunderstormes和thres in thunders in thunderss in the and thunderss and thunders in thunders in thunders in thunders in thunders in thunders in thunders in thunders in thunders in thres and thres and thres and thres and thres and theew。 每个地点和观察方法已被选择用于测量接近其生产地点的TGF。关键的观察结果之一是TGF的明亮性能以及它们的晕倒程度。当前，由领先模型预测的TGF辐射强度的时间变化具有明显的不确定性。为了考虑一系列可能随时间的快速辐射强度爆发来解决这种不确定性，用于观察每种伽马射线相互作用的塑料闪光灯的快速响应检测器将用于确定正确的模型物理。将闪电特征（主要是通过无线电发射）与互补的气象数据结合在一起，团队不仅能够理解产生TGF的闪电的详细行为，而且能够理解与TGF相似的高质量闪电数据，对于TGF而言，在这些情况下没有产生的情况，这同样重要，这是通过评估nsf的Inforts Infactiral deem的启发。和更广泛的影响审查标准。

项目成果

Fair Weather Neutron Bursts From Photonuclear Reactions by Extensive Air Shower Core Interactions in the Ground and Implications for Terrestrial Gamma‐ray Flash Signatures

• DOI: 10.1029/2020gl090033
• 发表时间: 2021-02
• 期刊: Geophysical Research Letters
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: G. Bowers;X. Shao;William Blaine;B. Dingus;David M. Smith;J. Chaffin;J. Ortberg;H. Rassoul;Cheng Ho;L. Nellen;N. Fraija;C. Álvarez;J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez;V. Baghmanyan;E. Belmont-Moreno;K. Caballero-Mora;A. Carramiñana;S. Casanova;E. de la Fuente;M. González;F. Hueyotl-Zahuantitla;O. Martinez;J. Matthews;E. Moreno;M. Newbold;E. Pérez-Pérez-E.-Pérez-Pérez-1431205495;I. Torres

Special Classes of Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes From RHESSI

来自 RHESSI 的特殊类地面伽马射线闪光

• DOI: 10.1029/2020jd033043
• 发表时间: 2020
• 期刊: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
• 作者: Smith, D. M.;Kelley, N. A.;Buzbee, P.;Infanger, A.;Splitt, M.;Holzworth, R. H.;Dwyer, J. R.
• 通讯作者: Dwyer, J. R.