X-Ray and Gamma Radiation of Lightning Discharge: Orbital Observations and Laboratory Simulation in Experiments with Long Sparks

Abstract

Problems associated with observations and interpretation of the physical mechanisms underlying the generation of hard electromagnetic radiation from lightning discharges are considered. A review of modern problems of understanding the nature of atmospheric flashes of gamma radiation from the Earth’s atmosphere is given. The results of orbital observations, in particular, on the Vernov satellite, are analyzed. The possibilities of orbital observations of atmospheric gamma-ray flashes on CubeSat spacecraft are discussed, and a description of the recording equipment is given. The technique of a laboratory experiment with long sparks, which simulates electrical discharges in thunderclouds, is considered.