Mechanisms of high-current pulses in lightning and long-spark stepped leaders

Abstract

The mechanisms of high-current transients in lightning stepped leaders and in long laboratory sparks at negative polarity are analyzed both from improved time resolution measurements and from systematic identifications of the various elements of the discharge during a pulse. A qualitative model was first constructed when the observations made were correlated with some previously known basic phenomena. Then the model was made quantitative by means of a computer simulation of spark formation, carried out from a modified program in electromagnetics. The relevance of the proposed model was checked for long sparks at negative polarity when computed and recorded current pulse wave forms were compared. Finally, the model of stepped-leader development was applied to a full scale event: an in-flight lightning strike on an instrumented aircraft. Slight discrepancies between computed and recorded current pulse wave forms may indicate possible underestimation of the electromagnetic high-frequency threat to sensitive airborne equipment due to the frequency limitations of the transient recorders used for lightning characterization on aircraft.