Space-temporal structure of the thunderstorm ground enhancements (TGEs)

Abstract

We analyzed the structure of the Thunderstorm Ground Enhancement (TGE) using a particle detector network on Aragats. We performed a statistical analysis of the particle arrival time series on a nanosecond time scale using the largest TGE event on record, which occurred on May 23, 2023. Our findings confirm that the TGE is a mixture of multiple runaway electron avalanches that arrive independently and provide stable particle flux. The electron accelerator, operated by the dipole that emerges in the lower part of the thundercloud, sends copious electrons and gamma rays toward the Earth's surface that sustains for minutes. The experimental results are supported by simulations of electron multiplication and acceleration in strong atmospheric electric fields. We compare TGEs and Terrestrial Gamma Flashes (TGFs), which are brief bursts observed by gamma-ray detectors in orbit and are thought to be associated with atmospheric discharges.