Characterization of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes from optical observations

• Grant number: 22/10808-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geophysics
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Magalhães Fares Saba
• Grantee: Ivan Toucedo Cruz
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

On September 11, 2021, atmospheric discharges emitting gamma rays were, for the first time, recorded by a high-speed camera and by detectors on the ground simultaneously. The events were detected by the Telescope Array located in the Utah desert (United States of America - USA) and were filmed by the Phantom v2012 camera, set at an acquisition rate of 40,000 frames per second (fps). The present research project aims to study these terrestrial gamma radiation emissions. We intend to investigate the theoretical models that explain the origin of the phenomenon and determine if the events analyzed on the ground (downward gamma radiation) are generated by the same lightning processes that generate the gamma radiation observed by satellites (upward gamma radiation). Finally, this work proposes to characterize the type of lightning flash that emits downward gamma radiation (type of lightning, polarity of the discharges, intensity, etc.). (AU)