Abstract. Observations of radio emissions from thunderstorms were made during the summer of 1996 using two arrays of sensors located in northern New Mexico. The first array consisted of three fast electric field change meters separated by distances of 30 to 230 km. The second array consisted of three broadband (3 to 30 MHz) HF data acquisition systems separated by distances of 6 to 13 km. Differences in signal times of arrival at multiple stations were used to locate the sources of received signals. Relative times of arrival of signal reflections from the ionosphere and Earth were used to determine source heights. A distinct class of short-duration electric field change emissions was identified and characterized. The emissions have previously been termed narrow positive bipolar pulses (NPBPs). NPBPs were emitted from singular intracloud discharges that occurred in the most active regions of three thunderstorms located in New Mexico and west Texas. The discharges occurred at altitudes between 8 and 11 km above mean sea level. NEXRAD radar images show that the NPBP sources were located in close proximity to high reflectivity storm cores where reflectivity values were in excess of 40 dBZ. NPBP electric field change waveforms were isolated, bipolar, initially positive pulses with peak amplitudes comparable to those of return stroke field change waveforms. The mean FWHM (full width at half maximum) of initial NPBP field change pulses was 4.7 gs. The HF emissions associated with NPBPs were broadband noise-like radiation bursts with a mean duration of 2.8 gs and amplitudes 10 times larger than emissions from typical intracloud and cloud-to-ground lightning processes. Calculations indicate that the events represent a distinct class of singular, isolated lightning discharges that have limited spatial extents of 300 to 1000 m and occur in high electric field regions. The unique radio emissions produced by these discharges, in combination with their unprecedented physical characteristics, clearly distinguish the events from other types of previously observed thunderstorm electrical processes.

A radio interferometer system is described which utilizes multiple baselines to determine the direction of lightning radiation sources with an angular resolution of a few degrees and with microsecond time resolution. An interactive graphics analysis procedure is used to remove fringe ambiguities from the data and to reveal the structure and development of lightning discharges inside the storm. Radiation source directions and electric field waveforms have been analyzed for different types of breakdown events for two lightning flashes. These include the initial breakdown and K type events of in‐cloud activity, the leaders of initial and subsequent strokes to ground, and activity during and following return strokes. Radiation during the initial breakdown of one flash was found to consist of intermittent, localized bursts of radiation that were slow moving. Source motion within a given burst was unresolved by the interferometer but was detected from burst to burst, with negative charge being transported in the direction of the breakdown progression. Radiation during initial leaders to ground was similar but more intense and continuous and had a characteristic intensity waveform. Radiation from in‐cloud K type events is essentially the same as for dart leaders; in both cases it is produced at the leading edge of a fast‐moving negative streamer that propagates along a well‐defined, often extensive, path. K type events are sometimes terminated by a fast field change that appears analogous to the field change of a return stroke. Dart leaders are sometimes observed to die out before reaching ground; these are termed “attempted leaders” and, except for their greater extent, are no different than K type events. Several modes of breakdown during and after return strokes have been documented and analyzed. One mode corresponds to the launching of a positive streamer away from the upper end of the leader channel, apparently as the return stroke reaches the leader start point. In another mode, the quenching of the dart leader radiation upon reaching ground reveals concurrent breakdown in the vicinity of the source region for the leader. In both instances the breakdown appears to establish channel extensions or branches that are followed by later activity of the flash. Finally, a new type of breakdown event has been identified whose electric field change and source development resemble those of an initial negative leader but which progresses horizontally through the storm. An example is shown which spawned a dart leader to ground.

Abstract. During the summers of 1995 and 1996 we conducted broadband HF-UHF and narrowband VHF radio frequency (RF) observations of positive cloud-to-ground (+CG) flashes at Langmuir and Los Alamos laboratories, New Mexico. These observations indicate that positive leaders to ground produce no or very weak radiation from HF to UHF. The broadband system was able to record 2 ms data each time it was triggered. For a +CG the system was usually triggered by the return stroke, and a 1 ms pretrigger period was coincident with the positive leader process. It was commonly observed that no or little radiation was associated with the leader process in the 1 ms pretrigger period. The narrowband VHF system employed a logarithmic power amplifier and recorded one 1 s data each time it was triggered. The narrowband observations show that strong and often continuous radiation occurs at the beginning of the +CGs, but the radiation usually becomes intermittent and impulsive during the last few tens of milliseconds preceding the return strokes. The observations for most of the +CGs also show complete lack of radiation a few ms before the beginning of the return strokes, suggesting that the ongoing downward positive leaders were quiet at VHF, at least during the final few ms. The results of this study for natural positive leaders are in agreement with the results obtained from laboratory gap discharges and rocket-triggered lightning.

A broad band radio interferometer for locating lightning emissions has been designed, constructed and tested. For a broad band interferometer, a single fixed pair of antennas is equivalent to having many baselines in a narrow band interferometer. So, a broad band system requires fewer antennas than a narrow band system to achieve equivalent angular resolution. In addition, frequency dependent locations of the radio emissions can be extracted for a more detailed look at the lightning breakdown processes. Such a system has been tested by a computer simulation and by measuring a man‐made broad band radiation source. The system consists of two antennas which are separated vertically. Bandwidth of the system is from 40 to 350 MHz. Measurements of the man‐made source indicate that with a signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) above 10 dB, the system is able to locate the source with an accuracy of about 2° over the detectable frequencies. Preliminary observations of lightning discharges with this new technique appear to indicate that breakdown processes of a dart leader to ground radiate solely at its descending tip.

Abstract. We report initial measurements of ionospheric propagation parameters, particularly the total electron content (TEC), using the recently launched FORTE satellite. FORTE, which orbits the Earth at an altitude of 800 km and an inclination of 70 ø, contains a set of wideband radio receivers whose output is digitally recorded. A specialized triggering circuit identifies transient, broadband radio events, which include radiation from lightning, transionospheric pulse pairs, and man-made sources. Event data are transmitted to the ground station for analysis. In this paper we examine signals transmitted from an electromagnetic pulse generator operated at Los Alamos. The transmitter produces nearly impulsive signals in the VHF range. The received signal is dispersed by the ionosphere, and the received signal can be analyzed to deduce the total electron content along the path. By comparing the slant TEC thus measured with results from a ray-tracing code, we can deduce the vertical TEC to 800 km. Data from eight passes are presented. These types of data (in larger quantities) are of interest to operators of radar altimeters, who need data to corroborate their corrections for the ionospheric TEC. The combination of FORTE TEC data to 800 km and TEC measurements to 20,000 km (the Global Positioning System orbital altitude) can provide useful information for assessing the validity of models of plasmaspheric electron density. Initial estimates of the plasmaspheric density, on two daytime passes, are about 6 TECU. The signal received by FORTE, which is linearly polarized at the transmitter, is split into two magnetoionic modes by the ionosphere. The receiving antenna is also linearly polarized and therefore receives both modes. By measuring the beat frequency between the two modes, we can deduce the product of the geomagnetic field and the cosine of the angle between the field and the propagation vector. The possibility of using the measured slant TEC and the beat frequency to geolocate impulsive signals is discussed. IntroductionOn August 29, 1997, a space vehicle named FORTE was placed into a circular orbit with an altitude of 800 km and an inclination of 70 ø by a Pegasus launch vehicle. FORTE is an acronym for fast onboard recording of transient events, and the satellite includes two major payloads. The primary payload is a set of tunable wideband radio receivers followed by fast digitizers. The secondary payload, comprising an imaging camera and a fast photodiode detector, will not be discussed in this paper. One of the purposes for the radio payload is to provide data use this information will be described below. The received signal can also be analyzed, under some circumstances, to infer the product of the geomagnetic field and the cosine of the angle between the field and the propagation vector. This information can be used to further constrain the locus of possible source locations.In the sections to follow we will discuss the theoretical basis of the measurements and data analysis and then describe the transm...