Effects of Propagation of Narrow Bipolar Pulses, Generated by Compact Cloud Discharges, over Finitely Conducting Ground

Abstract

Propagation effects on the narrow bipolar pulses (NBPs) or the radiation fields generated by compact cloud discharges as they propagate over finitely conducting ground are presented. The results were obtained using a sample of NBPs recorded with high time resolution from close thunderstorms in Sri Lanka. The results show that the peak amplitude and the temporal features such as the full width at half maximum (FWHM), zero-crossing time, and the time derivative of NBPs can be significantly distorted by propagation effects. For this reason, the study of peak amplitudes and temporal features of NBPs and the remote sensing of current parameters of compact cloud discharges should be conducted using NBPs recorded under conditions where the propagation effects are minimal.

Keywords

• compact cloud discharges
• narrow bipolar pulses
• propagation effects
• finitely conducting ground