Determine three-layer atmospheric electric fields using MGMR3D

Abstract

Introduction: Measuring atmospheric electric fields is a difficult task because of the volatility of thunderstorms and the lack of control over direct measurement methods such as balloons. MGMR3D is a semi-analytic code that can be used to determine the structures of atmospheric electric fields during thunderstorm conditions indirectly. However, it is required to check whether the MGMR3D results have a good agreement with those provided by the microscopic model, CoREAS, in three-layer electric field cases. Methods: Using MGMR3D and CoREAS, we compared the intensity and linear and circular polarizations of radio emissions due to extensive air showers given by the two codes. Results: This work shows that a good agreement was obtained for air showers passing through more complicated electric field structures. Conclusion: This means that one can use MGMR3D to extract details on the structures of the atmospheric electric fields in thunderclouds.