Combining Cherenkov and scintillation detector observations with simulations to deduce the nature of high-energy radiation excesses during thunderstorms


Abstract:

We present co-observations of three strong count-rate enhancements associated with thunderstorms observed over 17 April 2015 to 23 September 2015 by the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) array, and a suite of small scintillation detectors comprising the Gamma-ray Observations During Overhead Thunderstorms (GODOT) instrument. Because the HAWC array is most sensitive to ionizing radiation at high energies (> 100 MeV), and the small scintillation detectors are most sensitive to ionizing radiation at low energies (3–20 MeV), we investigate using the ratio of these detector counting rates variations to infer spectral characteristics of these enhancements, and understand the physics behind these thunderstorm accelerator mechanisms. We consider two extreme mechanisms that can produce these enhancements: a point source of relativistic runaway electron avalanches (RREA), and modification of the …

Año de publicación:

2019

Keywords:

    Fuente:

    googlegoogle

    Tipo de documento:

    Other

    Estado:

    Acceso abierto

    Áreas de conocimiento:

    • Física de partículas

    Áreas temáticas:

    • Geología, hidrología, meteorología
    • Electricidad y electrónica
    • Astronomía y ciencias afines