Journal Article

A 3D Interferometer-Type Lightning Mapping Array for Observation of Winter Lightning in Japan

Wang, Daohong, Yamamoto, Kazuo, Huang, Haitao, Yang, Junchen, Takagi, Nobuyuki, Wu, Ting

2023

Overview

We have developed and deployed a 3D Interferometer-type Lightning Mapping Array (InLMA) for observing winter lightning in Japan. InLMA consists of three broadband interferometers installed at three stations with a distance from 3 to 5 km. At each interferometer station, three discone antennas were installed, forming a right triangle with a separation of 75 m along their two orthogonal baselines. The output of each InLMA antenna is passed through a 400 MHz low-pass filter and then recorded at 1 GS/s with 16-bit accuracy. A new method has been proposed for finding 3D solutions of a lightning mapping system that consists of multiple interferometers. Using the InLMA, we have succeeded in mapping a positive cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash in winter, particularly its preliminary breakdown (PB) process. A study on individual PB pulse processes allows us to infer that each PB pulse process contains many small-scale discharges scattering in a height range of about 150 m. These small-scale discharges in a series of PB pulses appear to be continuous in space, though discontinuous in time. We have also examined the positive return stroke in the CG flash and found a 3D average return stroke speed of 7.5 × 107 m/s.

• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Subject: Antennas / Artificial satellites in remote sensing / Broadband / Discharge / Geometry / Image processing / interferometer / Interferometers / Interferometry / Japan / Lightning / Lightning flashes / lightning mapping array / Low pass filters / Mapping / Methods / positive return stroke / preliminary breakdown / Remote sensing / Return strokes (lightning) / winter / winter lightning