Numerical simulations of the bi-level and branched structure of intracloud lightning flashes

Intracloud (IC) lightning is used to mean those lightning flashes which channels do not strike the ground. It is an important scientific problem to inves-tigate the IC flash features and the discharge physics.Measurements from the electric field change arrange-ment1,2] and VHF radiation events3,4] have provided ample evidence that IC flashes have branches with substantial horizontal extents. The VHF interferomet-662 Science in China: Series D Earth Sciences ric observations5] also s…

Numerical simulations of the bi-level and branched structure of intracloud lightning flashes

Intracloud (IC) lightning flashes have been simulated in fine resolution (12.5 m) by using a bidirectional stochastic lightning parameterization scheme within 2-dimensional domain. The simu-lated results show that the IC flashes have a bilevel channel structure and the altitudes of the hori-zontal channels are at the same heights of potential wells, which are supported by the previous VHF source observations and balloon soundings of electric field profile in the thundercloud. Further con-clusions are: (1) After an IC flash is initiated near the boundary between positve and nagetive charge zone, the negative (or positive) leader tends to propagate into the positive (or negative) charge zone. Both types of positive and negative IC flashes have been reproduced and their polarity depends on the up and down disposition of the positive and negative charge regions. (2) The extension range of leaders is correlative with the cloud charge distribution. The leader is possible to extend through the inverted charge region all over where it is extending, but keeps away from the isolated charge area of the same polarity. (3) The channel structures also depend on the electric potential distributions in the thundercloud. Before propagating into the central area of potential wells, the leader tends to extend along the direction with the maximum of potential gradient. Once extending away from the center of potential wells, the leader tends to extend along the direction with the slowest potential change. (4) The IC flash channels have the fractal feature with fractal dimension 1.45 before leaders pass through the central area of charge regions. The exponent decreases rapidly once leaders extend into the low-density charge regions. (5) The induced charges of opposite polarity are deposited in the leader channels within preexisting positive and negative charge regions during IC flash discharges. This causes a new and complicated charge distribution in the thundercloud, and the potential extremum drops from 200 to 20 Mv when the IC flash terminates.