E. A. Mareev

Investigations of the space environment aboard the Universitetsky-Tat’yana and Universitetsky-Tat’yana-2 microsatellites

The first results obtained through the university small satellites program developed at Moscow State University (MSU) are presented. The space environment was investigated aboard two MSU microsatellites designed for scientific and educational purposes, Universitetsky-Tat’yana and Universitetsky-Tat’yana-2. The scientific equipment is described to study charged particles in near Earth space and atmospheric radiations in ultraviolet, red, and infrared optical wavelength ranges. The dynamic properties of fluxes of charged particles in microsatellite orbits are studied and findings are presented regarding specific parameters of solar proton penetration during the geomagnetic disturbances. Experimental results are considered concerning flashes of ultraviolet (UV), red (R), and infrared (IR) radiation that are transient light phenomena in the upper atmosphere. The space educational MSU program developed on the basis of the Universitetsky-Tat’yana projects is reviewed.

Variation of the global electric circuit and Ionospheric potential in a general circulation model

A general circulation model of the atmosphere and ocean INMCM4.0 (Institute of Numerical Mathematics Coupled Model) is used for modeling the global electric circuit short-time variability and long-term evolution. The ionospheric potential parameterization is proposed which takes into account quasi-stationary currents of electrified clouds (including thunderstorms) as principal contributors into the DC global circuit. The diurnal, seasonal, and interannual variations of the ionospheric potential (IP) are modeled and compared with available data. Numerical simulations suggest that the IP decreases in the mean with the global warming due to increasing greenhouse gas emission (by about 10% during the 21st century if the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 Wm−2 scenario is assumed). At the same time the lightning flash rate increases with global warming by about 5 fl/s per degree. Interannual IP variability is low and does not exceed 1% of the mean value, being tightly correlated with the mean sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean (El Nino area).

Cellular automaton modeling of mesospheric optical emissions: Sprites

This paper presents a new attempt to model two-dimensional mesospheric optical emissions named sprites with the use of a cellular automaton network. A large-scale model of sprites based on the phenomenological percolation-like probabilistic approach is developed to model streamer discharges in sprites. It is shown that a sprite is a self-affine structure rather than a simple fractal one, and that this self-affine structure is tightly connected with directed percolation phenomena. The system is found to evolve in the vicinity of the percolation threshold, which results in a wide variety of sprite characteristics even under similar initial conditions. The approach developed allows us to estimate a maximum size of the discharge pattern to be formed.

Atmospheric ultraviolet and red-infrared flashes from Universitetsky-Tatiana-2 satellite data

Millisecond ultraviolet (240–400 nm) and red-infrared (610–800 nm) flashes were detected in the nighttime atmosphere with the scientific payload installed onboard the Universitetsky-Tatiana-2 micro-satellite. Flashes with various numbers of photons, from 1020 to 1026, were detected within the atmospheric area 300 km in diameter observed by the detector. The flashes differ in duration and temporal profile: from single short flashes ∼1 ms in duration to flashes with a complex profile more than 100 ms in duration. Different global geographic distributions are observed for flashes with different numbers of photons. Flashes with fewer than 1022 photons are distributed uniformly over the Earth’s map. Flashes with more than 1022 photons are concentrated near the equator and above the continents. Series of flashes were observed in one turn of the satellite when flying not only over thunderstorm regions but also over cloudless ones. The flash number distribution has been derived from the ratio of the numbers of red-infrared and ultraviolet photons. As applied to discharges in the upper atmosphere, whose glow is dominated by the emission in the first and second positive systems of molecular nitrogen bands (1PN2 and 2PN2), this distribution is equivalent to the flash altitude distribution in the atmosphere. The observed ratio of the numbers of photons in red-infrared and ultraviolet flashes agrees with the calculated one for electric discharges at altitudes higher than 50 km. In-orbit measurements of the charged particle flux (with a threshold energy for electrons of 1 MeV) provide no evidence for a synchronous occurrence of an ultraviolet flash and a burst in the particle flux in the orbit.

Types of lightning discharges that abruptly terminate enhanced fluxes of energetic radiation and particles observed at ground level

We present ground-based measurements of thunderstorm-related enhancements of fluxes of energetic radiation and particles that are abruptly terminated by lightning discharges. All measurements were performed at an altitude of 3200 m above sea level on Mt. Aragats (Armenia). Lightning signatures were recorded using a wideband electric field measuring system with a useful frequency bandwidth of 50 Hz to 12 MHz and network of five electric field mills, three of which were installed at the Aragats station, one at the Nor Amberd station (12.8 km from Aragats), and one at the Yerevan station (39 km from Aragats). We observed that the flux-enhancement termination was associated only with close (within 10 km or so of the particle detector) -CGs and normal-polarity ICs; that is, with lightning types which reduce the upward-directed electric field below the cloud and, hence, suppress the acceleration of electrons toward the ground.

Infrared images of bidirectional leaders produced by the cloud of charged water droplets

Detailed infrared (2.7–5.5 µm) images of bidirectional leaders produced by the cloud of small (typical radius of 0.5 µm), positively charged water droplets are presented. The leader was composed of the downward extending positive part and the upward extending negative part, these two parts (both branched, although in different ways) being connected by the single-channel middle part. The downward extending part included the tortuous positive leader channel (similar to its upward extending counterpart observed when the cloud polarity was negative) that was often accompanied by much less tortuous but often equally bright downward extending plasma formations of unknown nature. Very faint positive streamer zone was also observed. Either the positive leader channel or the unusual plasma formation (UPF) can come in contact with the grounded plane. The upward extending part is associated with a large network of faint channels, mostly fanning out of the upper part of the usually much brighter leader channel and apparently pervading the entire upper part of the cloud. Some of those faint channels could be unusually long and bright negative streamers, while others could be similar to UPFs. The IR luminosity along the brightest part of the bidirectional leader channel is often nonuniform. Some variations in channel brightness are localized and suggest the involvement of space leader-type processes at multiple positions along the channel, changes in channel orientation, or variations in channel radius.

Modeling of lightning generated electric field transitional processes

A new quasi-electrostatic model of high altitude electric field generation due to the lightning-induced change of a thundercloud electric structure is presented. The key point of the model is the assumption that a highly conducting channel arises due to a cloud-to-ground (CG) discharge, which brings the ground potential to a region near the cloud bottom in some tens of milliseconds after the discharge initiation. Substantial increase in the electric field strength above the thundercloud at this moment is found. A horizontal extension of the lightning channel is taken into account in the framework of the bidirectional model of the channel propagation. This geometry provides a substantially bigger electric field perturbation than the simplest geometry of the vertical lightning channel does.

Observations of the connection of positive and negative leaders in meter‐scale electric discharges generated by clouds of negatively charged water droplets

Detailed observations of the connection between positive and negative leaders in meter-scale electric discharges generated by clouds of negatively-charged water droplets are presented and their possible implications for the attachment process in lightning are discussed. Optical images obtained with three different high-speed cameras (visible-range with image enhancement, visible-range regular, and infrared) and corresponding current recordings were used. Two snapshots of the break-through phase of the leader connection, showing significant leader branching inside the common streamer zone, are presented for the first time. Positive and negative leader speeds inside the common streamer zone for two events were found to be similar. Higher leader speeds were generally associated with higher leader currents. In the case of head-to-head leader connection, the infrared brightness of the junction region (probably representing the gas temperature and, hence, the energy input) was typically a factor of 5 or so higher than for channel sections either below or above that region. In 16% of cases, the downward negative leader connected to the upward positive leader below its tip (attached to the lateral surface of the positive leader), with the connection being accomplished via a channel segment that appeared to be perpendicular to one or both of the leader channels.

Energetic Particles Impacting the Upper Atmosphere in Connection with Transient Luminous Event Phenomena: Russian Space Experiment Programs

In Russia several space missions are now planned to study transient luminous events in the atmosphere and high energy charged particles at satellite altitudes. The experimental goal is to investigate the origin of the high energy electrons and gamma‐ray quanta for specific transient luminous events (TLEs) and their role in the ionosphere‐magnetosphere system. Simultaneous measurements of electrons at the orbit of the satellite and TLE atmospheric radiation in many wavelength bands will be performed in two missions, Tatiana‐2 and RELEC. In the TUS mission UV transient event detection will be accompanied by measurements of the weak UV emission from the “seed” electrons of extensive air showers of extremely high primary energies.

Electric State of the Near-Surface Atmosphere according to the Results of Tethered Balloon Observations

The electric state of the near-surface atmosphere up to a height of 400 m is investigated using a tethered balloon with a measuring platform and a ground-based information-measuring complex of the Borok middle-latitude geophysical observatory. For the first time, measurements were taken simultaneously for vertical profiles of the atmospheric electric field, polar electrical conductivities, size distribution of aerosol particles, and the volume activity of radon, which have allowed estimating the average values and variability of the space charge density and conduction current in the atmosphere. The height dependence of the electric potential with respect to the Earth’s surface and electrical resistance of the near-surface atmospheric column under different conditions of the temperature stratification is studied.