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NRAO/Socorro Colloquium Series

Valerie Connaughton

NASA

Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes, Lightning, and Radio Signals


Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) were discovered in 1991 by the Burst And Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory as mysterious bursts of high-energy radiation appearing to come from areas of thunderstorm activity.  Since then, they have been detected on three additional satellite experiments including the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on-board the Fermi satellite.  Our understanding of the relationship between TGFs and coincident Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio signals has evolved considerably in the Fermi GBM era, with some VLF signals coming from lightning associated with the TGFs and others from the TGFs themselves.  I will discuss the Fermi GBM TGF observations, with special attention to their association with VLF radio signals detected on the ground.


May 9, 2014
11:00 am

Array Operations Center Auditorium

All NRAO employees are invited to attend via video, available in Charlottesville 245, Green Bank Auditorium,  Tucson N525, and NTC 400.

Local Host: Dale Frail

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