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Title: Detecting an Upward Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flash from its Reverse Positron Beam
Abstract

In 2015, Bowers et al. (2018,https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JD027771) detected a terrestrial gamma ray flash (TGF) in Hurricane Patricia from an aircraft flying at 2.6 km through what they argued to be a beam of downward gamma radiation produced by the positron component of the TGF. This paper uses the energy spectrum for gamma rays produced by the positrons of a relativistic runaway electron avalanche as simulated by the REAM code, propagated through a model of the Earth's atmosphere in Geant4, to examine the feasibility of detecting a typical upward TGF through its reverse positron beam at various altitudes on the ground. We find that, with patience, modest‐sized scintillators on mountains as low as 1 km should be able to observe the same TGFs seen from spacecraft.

 
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Award ID(s):
1613028
NSF-PAR ID:
10457807
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Volume:
125
Issue:
6
ISSN:
2169-897X
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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