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Mechanism of Fast Air Heating and Infrasound Generation by Sprites

Mechanism of Fast Air Heating and Infrasound Generation by Sprites

Talk presented at USNC-URSI Meeting, Boulder, CO, January, 2014

Caitano L. da Silva

January 10, 2014
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  1. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Mechanism of Fast Air Heating and
    Infrasound Generation by Sprites
    Caitano L. da Silva and Victor P. Pasko
    Communications and Space Sciences Laboratory
    Department of Electrical Engineering
    Pennsylvania State University
    2014 USNC–URSI Meeting
    Boulder, Colorado
    8 – 11 January 2014
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 1 / 17

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  2. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Outline
    1
    Introduction
    2
    Model Formulation
    3
    Results
    4
    Summary
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 2 / 17

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  3. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Correlation of Sprite Optical Observations With Infrasound Recordings
    Farges et al.
    [GRL, 32, L01813, 2005]
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 3 / 17

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  4. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Outline
    1
    Introduction
    2
    Model Formulation
    3
    Results
    4
    Summary
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 4 / 17

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  5. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Schematics of Sprite Core
    75
    70
    65
    60
    55
    50
    45
    40
    35
    30
    25
    ~100 km
    20
    15
    10
    5
    0
    h (km)
    Ground
    Core
    Simulated Region
    Individual
    Streamers
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 5 / 17

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  6. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Electrical Currents Flowing Through Sprite Cores
    Sprites currents are inferred from ELF electromagnetic radiation recordings
    [Cummer et al., GRL, 25, 8, 1998] and from a moving-capacitor plate
    model [Pasko et al., GRL, 25, 18, 1998].
    Icore
    = Isprite
    /Ncore
    ; Ncore
    = 10.
    Ip
    = 200–2000 A; τp
    and ∆τI
    are of the order of a few ms.
    Initial conditions at 70 km altitude:
    ne
    (t = 0) = ne,a
    e−r2/r2
    c ; ne,a
    = 106 cm−3; rc
    = 20 m.
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 6 / 17

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  7. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Coupling of Gas Dynamics and Chemistry in The Sprite Plasma
    1 Dynamics of neutral gas.
    2 Comprehensive plasma chemistry.
    3 Energy exchange between charged and
    neutral particles.
    4 Delayed vibrational energy relaxation of
    nitrogen molecules.
    [da Silva and Pasko, JGR, 118, 2013, doi:10.1002/2013JD020618]
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 7 / 17

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  8. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Energy Exchange Between Charged and Neutral Particles





    ∂ε
    ∂t
    ∝ Qeff
    T
    = QT
    + QL
    + Qi
    + QVT
    + QVV
    + QD
    ∂εV
    ∂t
    ∝ Qeff
    V
    = QV
    − QVT
    − QVV
    − 2QD
    QT
    = Fast heating from quenching of
    excited electronic states [Popov, JPD, 44,
    285201, 2011].
    QL
    = Elastic collisions including excitation
    of rotations and vibrations in O2
    .
    QV
    = Excitation of vibrations in N2
    .
    Qi
    = Heating from ion current, Qi
    = σi
    E2.
    1 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
    0
    20
    40
    60
    80
    100
    Electronic Power Partitioning (%)
    BOLSIG+ [Hagelaar and
    Pitchford, PSST, 14, 722,
    2005]
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 8 / 17

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  9. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Outline
    1
    Introduction
    2
    Model Formulation
    3
    Results
    4
    Summary
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 9 / 17

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  10. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Fast Air Heating in the Sprite Core
    0
    0.2
    0.4
    0.6
    0.8
    1
    1.2 (a)
    10−5
    10−4
    10−3
    10−2
    10−1
    100
    −0.4
    −0.2
    0
    0.2
    0.4
    0.6
    0.8
    1
    1.2 (b)
    10−5 10−4 10−3 10−2 10−1 100
    100
    101
    102
    103
    (c)
    (Fast Heating)
    (Elastic Collisions)
    (Total)
    (Air Heating)
    Ip
    = 2000 A; τp
    = 6 ms; ∆τI
    = 4 ms.
    Ncore
    Lz
    W = 137 MJ.
    W eff
    T
    /W 16 %.
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 10 / 17

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  11. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Role of Electron Detachment
    104
    105
    106
    107
    108
    109
    (a)
    10−5 10−4 10−3 10−2 10−1 100 10−5 10−4 10−3 10−2 10−1 100
    10−2
    100
    102
    104 (b)
    The electron density increase in the sprite core is resulting from the
    accumulation of O− ions followed by electron detachment (νdet
    ), in
    agreement with conclusions of more detailed kinetic models
    [Gordillo-Vazquez and Luque, GRL, 37, L16809, 2010].
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 11 / 17

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  12. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Optical Emissions
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
    −200
    −100
    0
    100
    200 6
    8
    10
    10
    10
    10
    Intensity (R)
    1PN2
    Optical
    Emission
    The sustained luminosity associated to rapid current growth is in
    agreement with the mechanism for the sprite streamer luminous trail
    proposed by Liu [GRL, 37, L04102, 2010].
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 12 / 17

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  13. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Radiation of Infrasonic Acoustic Waves
    0
    0.02
    0.01
    0
    −0.01
    50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
    0.1 s
    0.3 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 s
    ∆pobs
    = ∆pref
    N0
    Namb
    rref
    Lz
    Lz
    Robs
    ; Lz
    = 10 km; Robs
    = 100 km.
    ∆pobs
    /∆pref
    1.72 → ∆pobs
    = 0.01 Pa.
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 13 / 17

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  14. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Effects of Different Current Waveform Parameters
    0 500 1000 1500 2000
    0
    0.005
    0.01
    0.015
    0.02
    0.025
    0 5 10 15 20
    0
    0.005
    0.01
    0.015
    0.02
    0.025
    (a) (b)
    15 MJ
    92 MJ
    330 MJ
    390 MJ
    900 MJ
    137 MJ
    4 ms
    440 MJ
    4.7 GJ
    4 ms
    40 ms
    40 ms
    4 ms 2000 A
    ∆pobs
    is directly proportional to Ip
    and weakly depends on τp
    and ∆τI
    .
    ∆pobs
    is a better tracer of Ip
    rather than total energy deposited
    (Ncore
    Lz
    W ).
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 14 / 17

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  15. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Outline
    1
    Introduction
    2
    Model Formulation
    3
    Results
    4
    Summary
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 15 / 17

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  16. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Summary
    1 Air heating or, more precisely, fast air heating, is the physical mechanism
    responsible for infrasonic acoustic wave radiation from sprites. Typical in situ
    pressure perturbation amplitudes are ∼10−3–10−2 Pa.
    2 Only a fraction of ∼16 % of the total energy deposited by sprites is used for air
    heating.
    3 Pressure perturbations amplitudes of 0.01 Pa, registered on the ground in
    association with sprites, can only be produced by exceptionally strong currents in
    sprite cores, exceeding 2 kA.
    4 Measured infrasound amplitudes are directly proportional to peak currents flowing
    through sprite cores, and are not necessarily uniquely related to the total energy
    deposited in sprites.
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 16 / 17

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  17. Introduction Model Formulation Results Summary
    Thank you for your attention!
    Acknowledgments
    This research was supported by NSF AGS-0734083 and AGS-1332199 grants to Penn
    State University.
    Reference
    da Silva, C. L., and V. P. Pasko (2014), Infrasonic acoustic waves generated by fast
    air heating in sprite cores, Geophys. Res. Lett., Submitted for Publication,
    doi:10.1002/2013GL059164.
    Contact
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko, Communications and Space Sciences Laboratory,
    Department of Electrical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 227 EE East,
    University Park, PA 16802-2706, USA ([email protected]; [email protected]).
    C. L. da Silva and V. P. Pasko Sprite Infrasound Mechanism 17 / 17

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