Modeling the Effect of Ionospheric Electron Density Profile and Its Inhomogeneities on Sprite Halos

Zhang, Jinbo; Niu, Jiawei; Xie, Zhibin; Wang, Yajun; Li, Xiaolong; Zhang, Qilin

doi:10.3390/atmos15101169

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Modeling the Effect of Ionospheric Electron Density Profile and Its Inhomogeneities on Sprite Halos

by

Jinbo Zhang

^1,*

,

Jiawei Niu

¹,

Zhibin Xie

¹,

Yajun Wang

¹,

Xiaolong Li

¹ and

Qilin Zhang

^2,*

¹

Ocean College, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212013, China

²

Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME)/Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC)/Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster (CIC-FEMD)/Key Laboratory for Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation of China Meteorological Administration, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Atmosphere 2024, 15(10), 1169; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15101169

Submission received: 24 August 2024 / Revised: 20 September 2024 / Accepted: 26 September 2024 / Published: 30 September 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Thunderstorms on the Upper Atmosphere)

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Abstract

Sprite halos are diffuse glow discharges in the D-region ionosphere triggered by the quasi-electrostatic (QES) fields of lightning discharges. A three-dimensional (3D) QES model is adopted to investigate the effect of ionospheric electron density on sprite halos. The electron density is described by an exponential formula, parameterized by reference height (h’) and sharpness (β), and the local inhomogeneity has a Gaussian density distribution. Simulation results indicate that the reference height and steepness of the nighttime electron density affect the penetration altitudes and amplitudes of normalized electric fields, as well as the altitudes and intensities of the corresponding sprite halos optical emissions. A comparison of the daytime and nighttime conditions demonstrates that the daytime electron density profile is not favorable for generating sprite halos emissions. Furthermore, the pre-existing electron density inhomogeneities lead to enhanced local electric fields and optical emissions, potentially offering a plausible explanation for the horizontal displacement between sprites and their parent lightning, as well as their clustering.

Keywords: sprite halos; quasi-electrostatic field model; electron density; inhomogeneity; optical emission

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, J.; Niu, J.; Xie, Z.; Wang, Y.; Li, X.; Zhang, Q. Modeling the Effect of Ionospheric Electron Density Profile and Its Inhomogeneities on Sprite Halos. Atmosphere 2024, 15, 1169. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15101169

AMA Style

Zhang J, Niu J, Xie Z, Wang Y, Li X, Zhang Q. Modeling the Effect of Ionospheric Electron Density Profile and Its Inhomogeneities on Sprite Halos. Atmosphere. 2024; 15(10):1169. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15101169

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Jinbo, Jiawei Niu, Zhibin Xie, Yajun Wang, Xiaolong Li, and Qilin Zhang. 2024. "Modeling the Effect of Ionospheric Electron Density Profile and Its Inhomogeneities on Sprite Halos" Atmosphere 15, no. 10: 1169. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15101169

APA Style

Zhang, J., Niu, J., Xie, Z., Wang, Y., Li, X., & Zhang, Q. (2024). Modeling the Effect of Ionospheric Electron Density Profile and Its Inhomogeneities on Sprite Halos. Atmosphere, 15(10), 1169. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15101169

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Modeling the Effect of Ionospheric Electron Density Profile and Its Inhomogeneities on Sprite Halos

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