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The physics of charging a hailstone freely falling in a thunderstorm cloud

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Abstract

Interaction between a charged watered coarse hailstone and likely charged droplets in a uniform electrostatic field is analyzed using the electrostatic methods of images. It is shown that, under certain external conditions characteristic of a thunderstorm cloud, the droplets are attracted to the likely charged hailstone. Owing to collisions with the droplets, the hailstone freely falling in a thunderstorm cloud can gather a charge large enough to initiate a corona discharge in its vicinity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Demidov State University, Sovetskaya ul. 14, Yaroslavl, 150000, Russia

    A. I. Grigor’ev, D. O. Kornienko & S. O. Shiryaeva

Authors
  1. A. I. Grigor’ev
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  2. D. O. Kornienko
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  3. S. O. Shiryaeva
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Correspondence to A. I. Grigor’ev.

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Original Russian Text © A.I. Grigor’ev, D.O. Kornienko, S.O. Shiryaeva, 2010, published in Zhurnal Tekhnicheskoĭ Fiziki, 2010, Vol. 80, No. 4, pp. 47–51.

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Grigor’ev, A.I., Kornienko, D.O. & Shiryaeva, S.O. The physics of charging a hailstone freely falling in a thunderstorm cloud. Tech. Phys. 55, 479–483 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063784210040079

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063784210040079

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