Effect of Striking a Cone-Shaped Mountain Top on the Far Lightning-Radiated Electromagnetic Field

Abstract

This paper presents the computed lightning-radiated vertical electric field and azimuthal magnetic field at the ground level at observing distances ranging from 0.3 to 50 km from the lightning channel for striking the cone-shaped mountain top, by using the two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method in cylindrical coordinate systems. It is found that the mountain height and the inclination angle have a significant effect on the lightning-radiated electromagnetic field both for the close and far observing distances. For the lightning-radiated vertical electric field, the enhancement of the far field beyond several kilometers (mainly radiation field component) is due to the reflection process in the transition between the mountain terrain and the flat ground, but the reduction of close field near the mountain terrain (mainly quasi-electrostatic field component) is due to the shadowing effect, but not due to such reflection. For the lightning-radiated azimuthal magnetic field, the field values for different mountain terrains, including the mountain height and inclination angle, increase both for close and far observing distances.