Development of Efficient Models of Streamer to Leader Transition in the Earth's Atmosphere

这笔赠款将允许继续进行流光到火花模拟的研究，主要目标是开发一个高效和准确的空气加热模型，以研究瞬变发光事件中闪电和空气加热过程中的流光到领头的转变。对大型喷气式飞机和闪电中的空间引导者等事件的新观察表明，需要开发能够在更大范围的引导者电流和环境空气压力的值范围内模拟引导者形成和传播的流光到引导者过渡模型。该奖项的研究目的是回答以下问题：流光到领导者转变与压力的比例，通道衰减时间的参数化，正负引头形成和传播中的极性不对称，精灵中空气加热的可能性，以及精灵中珠子结构的长期持久性。研究的更广泛影响包括研究生的教育和培训，通过直接资助将本科生纳入研究，以及与现有的本科生研究经验计划的联系。在授予期间开发的模型将向社区提供。

This grant will allow research to continue on streamer-to-spark modeling, with a main goal of developing an efficient and accurate air heating model to study streamer-to-leader transition in lightning and air heating processes in transient luminous events (TLEs). New observations of events like gigantic jets and space leaders in lightning show the need for the development of streamer-to-leader transition models capable of simulating leader formation and propagation in a broader range of values of leader electrical current and ambient air pressure. The research aims of the award are to answer questions about: the scaling of streamer-to-leader transition with pressure, parameterization of channel decay time, polarity asymmetries in positive and negative leader formation and propagation, possibility of air heating in sprites, and long persistency of bead structures in sprites.The broader impacts of the research include the education and training of a graduate student and the inclusion of undergraduate students in the research through direct funding and the association with an existing Research Experiences for Undergradutes program. Models developed during the award period would be made available to the community.