Absolute Spectral Irradiance Measurements of Lightning from 375 to 880 nm

Abstract

The time-integrated emissions from cloud-to-ground lightning have been recorded in the 375-880 nm region, using a spectrometer-detector and multichannel analyzer system capable of absolute spectral irradiance measurements. A schematic drawing of the detector-analyzer system is presented, and the experimental setup is described. A total of ten flashes containing 46 individual strikes were recorded and compared to recordings of 500 flashes from 1981. The average spectral irradiance from 375 to 695 nm for flashes at about 15 km was 3.5 x 10 to the -5th J/sq m per stroke with a standard deviation of 2.0 x 10 to the -5th and a range from 0.7 x 10 to the 0.7-6.8 x 10 to the -5th J/sq m per stroke. The average stroke spectra irradiance from 650 to 880 nm for the same strokes was 1.2 x 10 to the -5th, with a standard deviation of 0.7 x 10 to the -5th and a range from 0.5 to 3.2 x 10 to the -5th J/sq m per stroke. A summary table of spectral irradiance values in 50 nm increment is presented. Analysis of the spectral emission data show that unresolved neutral hydrogen lines (NI) at 744.2 nm were more intense than H-alpha emission at 656.3 nm. The strong emission of a flash with a continuing current was identified as cyanogen (CN) emission.