论文信息 - Rapid lateral expansion of optical luminosity in lightning‐induced ionospheric flashes referred to as ‘elves'

Rapid lateral expansion of optical luminosity in lightning‐induced ionospheric flashes referred to as ‘elves'

Data acquired by a new array of horizontally spaced photometers boresighted with a low-light-level camera provide the first measurement of the rapid lateral expansion of optical luminosity in lightning-induced ionospheric flashes referred to as ‘elves', occurring over time scales substantially less than 1 ms. The narrow individual fields-of-view of (2.2° × 1.1°' provide a spatial resolution of ∼20-km at a range of 500 km, enabling the documentation of expansion occurring over a horizontal range of 200 km with a time resolution of ∼30µs. The observed dynamic features of elves are consistent with a model in which the optical output is produced as a result of heating by the electromagnetic pulse (EMP' from a lightning discharge.

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