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First experimental observations of neutron bursts under thunderstorm clouds near sea level

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Abstract

The connection of short-term neutron bursts near sea level with the electric and geomagnetic atmospheric fields during thunderstorms in 2009–2011 has been experimentally studied. The data from the cosmic-ray spectrograph named after Kuzmin, an electrostatic fluxmeter, and a three-component fluxgate magnetometer in Yakutsk have been analyzed. It has been shown that short-term (no longer than 4 min) neutron bursts are due to negative lightning discharges. The bursts are detected at the ground level 1–3 km below thunderstorm clouds. In this case, the neutron flux is about 4 × 10−3 cm−2 s−1. The minimum energy of the neutrons that are efficiently detected by the monitor is about 10 MeV. It has been found that short-term neutron bursts are detected when the electric field strength reaches a threshold value of −16 kV/m.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shafer Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomy, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, 677980, Russia

    S. A. Starodubtsev, V. I. Kozlov, A. A. Toropov, V. A. Mullayarov, V. G. Grigor’ev & A. V. Moiseev

Authors
  1. S. A. Starodubtsev
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  2. V. I. Kozlov
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  3. A. A. Toropov
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  4. V. A. Mullayarov
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  5. V. G. Grigor’ev
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  6. A. V. Moiseev
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. A. Starodubtsev.

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Original Russian Text © S.A. Starodubtsev, V.I. Kozlov, A.A. Toropov, V.A. Mullayarov, V.G. Grigor’ev, A.V. Moiseev, 2012, published in Pis’ma v Zhurnal Eksperimental’noi i Teoreticheskoi Fiziki, 2012, Vol. 96, No. 3, pp. 201–204.

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Starodubtsev, S.A., Kozlov, V.I., Toropov, A.A. et al. First experimental observations of neutron bursts under thunderstorm clouds near sea level. Jetp Lett. 96, 188–191 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0021364012150106

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0021364012150106

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