High time-resolution sprite imaging: observations and implications

Abstract

Sprites are large scale manifestations of electrical streamers triggered in the upper atmosphere by lightning in an underlying thunderstorm. Imaging of sprites at 10 000 frames per second has provided new insights into their spatial and temporal development. In this paper we discuss the experimental protocols that have been developed for performing high-speed observations of sprites and some new observations that have been obtained of relevance to laboratory experiments. Downward tendrils and upward branches, so characteristic in video recordings, are shown to be formed by very fast streamer heads with velocities up to half the speed of light. The streamer heads are spatially small, ∼100 m or less, but very bright with emission rates up to ∼1024 photons s−1. The sprite onset begins with a downward streamer. Then, in some sprites, at a little later time and from a lower altitude upward moving streamer heads may also appear. If there are no upward streamers the sprite would be classified as a ‘C-sprite’; with both downward and upward streamers it would be a ‘carrot sprite’. The optical emissions are primarily from the neutral molecular nitrogen first positive bands emitting in the near-infrared, but there are also blue emissions assumed to be from second positive bands of molecular nitrogen and from first negative bands of nitrogen ions. The streamer heads are observed at times to split into several streamer heads. This process appears to be more frequent in the core of larger sprites.