Could Macroscopic Dark Matter (Macros) Give Rise to Mini-Lightning Flashes out of a Blue Sky without Clouds?

Vernon Cooray,Gerald Cooray,Farhad Rachidi,Marcos Rubinstein

doi:10.3390/atmos12091230

Abstract

A recent study pointed out that macroscopic dark matter (macros) traversing through the Earth’s atmosphere can give rise to hot and ionized channels similar to those associated with lightning leaders. The authors of the study investigated the possibility that when such channels created by macros pass through a thundercloud, lightning leaders may be locked in by these ionized channels, creating lightning discharges with perfectly straight channels. They suggested the possibility of detecting such channels as a means of detecting the passage of macros through the atmosphere. In this paper, we show that such macros crossing the atmosphere under fair weather conditions could also give rise to mini-lightning flashes with current amplitudes in the order of a few hundred Amperes. These mini-lightning flashes would generate a thunder signature similar to or stronger than those of long laboratory sparks and they could also be detected by optical means. As in the case of thunderstorm-assisted macro lightning, these mini-lightning flashes are also associated with straight channels. Moreover, since the frequency of mini-lightning flashes is about thirty times greater than the macro-generated lightning flashes assisted by thunderstorms, they could be used as a means to look for the paths of macroscopic dark matter crossing the atmosphere.

Highlights

Starkman et al [1] pointed out that a macro passing through the atmosphere will give rise to an ionized channel with temperature and electron densities similar to those of a lightning leader
Since the ionized channel is created by the macro and not by the stochastic processes associated with the leader discharge, an important and distinguishable characteristic of this lightning channel would be that it is completely straight
The goal of this paper is to show that, even in the case of a macro propagating across the atmosphere under fair weather conditions, the macro could give rise to a mini-lightning flash which could be observed at close range and be detected optically, especially during nighttime

Summary

Introduction

Since macros interact strongly with matter, they pointed out that their passage through the atmosphere can lead to the ionization of air, creating an ionized trail along their trajectory Utilizing this fact, Starkman et al [1] came up with a novel idea to detect the presence and propagation of macros through the atmosphere. Since the channel of the leader discharge is at a higher potential with respect to the ground, when it reaches the ground an ionization wave that carries the ground potential travels along it from ground to cloud Since the ionized channel is created by the macro and not by the stochastic processes associated with the leader discharge, an important and distinguishable characteristic of this lightning channel would be that it is completely straight. The leader discharge will break away from the channel of the macros, creating a tortuous channel similar to that of normal lightning

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Conclusion