Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes as Powerful Particle Accelerators

被引：154

作者：

Tavani, M. ^{[1
,2
,3
,4
]}

Marisaldi, M. ^{[5
]}

Labanti, C. ^{[5
]}

Fuschino, F. ^{[5
]}

Argan, A. ^{[6
]}

Trois, A. ^{[1
]}

Giommi, P. ^{[7
]}

Colafrancesco, S. ^{[7
]}

Pittori, C. ^{[7
]}

Palma, F. ^{[2
,19
]}

Trifoglio, M. ^{[5
]}

Gianotti, F. ^{[5
]}

Bulgarelli, A. ^{[5
]}

Vittorini, V. ^{[1
,3
]}

Verrecchia, F. ^{[7
]}

Salotti, L. ^{[8
]}

Barbiellini, G. ^{[3
,9
,10
]}

Caraveo, P. ^{[11
]}

Cattaneo, P. W. ^{[12
]}

Chen, A. ^{[3
,11
]}

Contessi, T. ^{[11
]}

Costa, E. ^{[1
]}

D'Ammando, F. ^{[1
,13
]}

Del Monte, E. ^{[1
]}

De Paris, G. ^{[6
]}

Di Cocco, G. ^{[5
]}

Di Persio, G. ^{[1
]}

Donnarumma, I. ^{[1
]}

Evangelista, Y. ^{[1
]}

Feroci, M. ^{[1
]}

Ferrari, A. ^{[3
,14
]}

Galli, M. ^{[15
]}

Giuliani, A. ^{[11
]}

Giusti, M. ^{[1
,3
]}

Lapshov, I. ^{[16
]}

Lazzarotto, F. ^{[1
]}

Lipari, P. ^{[17
,18
]}

Longo, F. ^{[9
,10
]}

Mereghetti, S. ^{[11
]}

Morelli, E. ^{[5
]}

Moretti, E. ^{[9
,10
]}

Morselli, A. ^{[19
]}

Pacciani, L. ^{[1
]}

Pellizzoni, A. ^{[20
]}

Perotti, F. ^{[11
]}

Piano, G. ^{[1
,19
]}

Picozza, P. ^{[2
,19
]}

Pilia, M. ^{[21
]}

Pucella, G. ^{[22
]}

Prest, M. ^{[21
]}

机构：

[1] INAF IASF Roma, I-00133 Rome, Italy

[2] Univ Roma Tor Vergata, Dipartimento Fis, I-00133 Rome, Italy

[3] CIFS Torino, I-10133 Turin, Italy

[4] INFN Roma Tor Vergata, I-00133 Rome, Italy

[5] INAF IASF Bologna, I-40129 Bologna, Italy

[6] INAF, Rome, Italy

[7] ASI Sci Data Ctr, I-00044 Frascati, Roma, Italy

[8] Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, I-00198 Rome, Italy

[9] Univ Trieste, Dipartimento Fis, I-34127 Trieste, Italy

[10] INFN Trieste, I-34127 Trieste, Italy

[11] INAF IASF Milano, I-20133 Milan, Italy

[12] INFN Pavia, I-27100 Pavia, Italy

[13] INAF IASF Palermo, I-90146 Palermo, Italy

[14] Univ Turin, Dipartimento Fis, Turin, Italy

[15] ENEA Bologna, I-40128 Bologna, Italy

[16] IKI, Moscow, Russia

[17] Univ Roma La Sapienza, Dipartimento Fis, I-00185 Rome, Italy

[18] INFN Roma La Sapienza, I-00185 Rome, Italy

[19] INFN Roma Tor Vergata, I-00133 Rome, Italy

[20] INAF Osservatorio Astron Cagliari, I-09012 Capoterra, CA, Italy

[21] Univ Insubria, Dipartimento Fis, I-22100 Como, Italy

[22] ENEA Frascati, I-00044 Frascati, Roma, Italy

[23] Osserv Astron Brera, INAF, I-20121 Milan, Italy

来源：

PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS | 2011年 / 106卷 / 01期

关键词：

RUNAWAY BREAKDOWN; ATMOSPHERIC ORIGIN; DISCHARGES; BURSTS; ASSOCIATION; GENERATION; MISSION; SPRITES; AIR;

D O I：

10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.018501

中图分类号：

O4 [物理学];

学科分类号：

0702 ;

摘要：

Strong electric discharges associated with thunderstorms can produce terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs), i.e., intense bursts of x rays and gamma rays lasting a few milliseconds or less. We present in this Letter new TGF timing and spectral data based on the observations of the Italian Space Agency AGILE satellite. We determine that the TGF emission above 10 MeV has a significant power-law spectral component reaching energies up to 100 MeV. These results challenge TGF theoretical models based on runaway electron acceleration. The TGF discharge electric field accelerates particles over the large distances for which maximal voltages of hundreds of megavolts can be established. The combination of huge potentials and large electric fields in TGFs can efficiently accelerate particles in large numbers, and we reconsider here the photon spectrum and the neutron production by photonuclear reactions in the atmosphere.

引用

页数：5

共 38 条

[1] Generation of neutrons in giant upward atmospheric discharges [J].