Characteristics and generation of secondary jets and secondary gigantic jets

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 2012-06, Vol.117 (A6), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Lee, Li-Jou, Huang, Sung-Ming, Chou, Jung-Kung, Kuo, Cheng-Ling, Chen, Alfred B., Su, Han-Tzong, Hsu, Rue-Rou, Frey, Harald U., Takahashi, Yukihiro, Lee, Lou-Chuang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atmospheric sciences; characteristics of secondary jets/GJs; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; generation of secondary jets/GJs; gigantic jet; Ionosphere; Jets; Lightning; secondary GJs; secondary jets; secondary TLEs
• ISSN: 0148-0227; 2169-9380; 2156-2202; 2169-9402
• DOI: 10.1029/2011JA017443

Secondary transient luminous events (TLEs) recorded by the ISUAL‐FORMOSAT2 mission can either be secondary jets or secondary gigantic jets (GJs), depending on their terminal altitudes. The secondary jets emerge from the cloud top beneath the preceding sprites and extend upward to the base of the sprites at ∼50 km. The secondary jets likely are negative electric discharges with vertically straight luminous columns, morphologically resembling the trailing jet of the type‐I GJs. The number of luminous columns in a secondary jet seems to be affected by the size of the effective capacitor plate formed near the base of the preceding sprites and the charge distribution left behind by the sprite‐inducing positive cloud‐to‐ground discharges. The secondary GJs originate from the cloud top under the shielding area of the preceding sprites, and develop upward to reach the lower ionosphere at ∼90 km. The observed morphology of the secondary GJs can either be the curvy shifted secondary GJs extending outside the region occupied by the preceding sprites or the straight pop‐through secondary GJs developing through the center of the preceding circular sprites. A key factor in determining the terminal height of the secondary TLEs appears to be the local ionosphere boundary height that established by the preceding sprites. The abundance and the distribution of the negative charge in the thundercloud following the sprite‐inducing positive cloud‐to‐ground discharges may play important role in the generation of the secondary TLEs. Key Points The secondary GJs can either be curvy shifted or straight pop‐through Formation of secondary jet/GJ may depend on height and size of local ionosphere The negative charge abundance and distribution may play important in generation