Abstract
Measurements of electric fields produced by cloud and ground lightning discharges were performed in Gainesville, Florida, in the summer of 2006. Microsecond- and submicrosecond-scale pulses in both cloud and cloud-to-ground discharges associated with the initial breakdown process were recorded and analyzed. In addition to ldquoclassicalrdquo preliminary breakdown pulses with durations of some tens of microseconds, pulses with durations an order of magnitude smaller were also detected. A total of 12 cloud and 12 cloud-to-ground discharges were analyzed in detail. We estimated that 26% of the pulses in the 12 cloud discharges and 22% of the pulses in the 12 cloud-to-ground discharges had total durations less that 1 mus. Further, we documented (apparently for the first time) pulse trains that were characteristic of initial (preliminary) breakdown in negative cloud-to-ground flashes but were not followed by return-stroke pulses.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
