Greifswald 2024 – scientific programme

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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik

P 4: Astrophysical Plasmas/Laser Plasmas

P 4.7: Talk

Monday, February 26, 2024, 15:45–16:00, WW 1: HS

Negative Corona, free Electrons and their Role in the Creation of Ball Lightning — •Herbert Boerner — Mainz

Ball lightning (BL) is still an unexplained phenomenon of atmospheric physics. Until recently, all evidence came from reports by accidental observers, but in the last years, additional information became available, mainly from lightning location systems. In order to make progress in defining suitable experiments and in selecting a theory that is consistent with the observations, it is important to choose from the thousands of anecdotal reports those that are reliable and that also contain information on the physics involved. There are indications, that positive cloud-ground lightning (+CG) has a much higher probability to create these objects that negative CG lightning. Together with the fact that BL objects can be produced far away from lightning channels, this allows a definition of the conditions under which BL is created. The importance of negative corona in air, of Trichel pulses, and the role of free electrons is discussed and an experimental setup is proposed.

Keywords: negative corona; Trichel pulses; free electrons; ball lightning; localized electromagnetic structures