The Effect of Thunderstorm Cloud Quasielectrostatic (QE) Field on the Nighttime Lonospheric D‐Region

Abstract

AbstractUsing a self‐consistent quasi‐electrostatic (QE) field model, the magnitude of QE is calculated at altitudes from 0km to 90km due to a sudden discharge of thunderstorm cloud. It is assumed that a positive charge of 200C is displaced to ground within 1ms. The numerical results show that the QE field obtained is greater than the breakdown field of neutral atmosphere at height above the thunderstorm about 65~78 km, 1 ms after the initiation of the discharge, and it decreases very quickly 0.5 s later. Because the thermal and ionization time scale are very short at the ionospheric height, the local nighttime lower ionosphere should be substantially affected by the relative large QE field. By solving the Boltzmann equation numerically, it is shown that the electron distribution function has a high‐energy tail at some altitudes, for example at 73 km, and the averaged electron energy is about 3~6 eV at heights of 63~78 km. The results also show that the electron density increases between 65km and 78 km, and the maximum peak becomes three orders larger than the ambient value at about 73 km. Such an effect is much larger than that caused by the electromagnetic pulse which is produced by the lightning stroke current.