Storm Clouds Produce Unusual Gamma Radiation

Thor and the Hulk might share more in common than previously believed. While it’s known that thunderstorms generate gamma rays in the atmosphere, a new study reveals they occur far more frequently than expected and are even stranger.

Although lightning strikes are highly energetic, they’re not the most powerful part of a storm. Gamma radiation is also produced in brief bursts known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs), which last up to 100 microseconds and are followed by longer-lasting afterglows.

NASA Research Plane Uncovers More Frequent Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes

Previous data suggested that TGFs were relatively rare, but this assumption was based on satellite observations. In a new study, scientists took a closer look using a NASA research plane equipped with sensors to measure gamma rays, lightning flashes, and microwave emissions.

Over 10 flights above storm clouds in the Caribbean and Central America, at an altitude of 20 km (12.4 miles), the team observed 96 TGFs—far more than expected. Notably, only three or four were bright enough to be detected from space, explaining why they previously seemed rare.

This closer perspective also revealed new types of gamma emissions that space-based detectors couldn’t capture. One such emission, called flickering gamma-ray flashes (FGFs), consists of pulses lasting 2,500 times longer than TGFs. These FGFs were observed 24 times during five flights, with 17 of them quickly followed by lightning.

Discovery of a Third Gamma Emission

Additionally, a third type of gamma emission was detected in nine of the 10 flights—a slow, low-energy glow that sometimes intensifies to produce TGFs and FGFs. In one instance, a glowing thundercloud system covering over 9,000 sq km (3,475 sq miles) was detected for the entire three-hour flight, though it likely lasted longer.

As for why this happens, it appears that storms create strong electric fields within clouds, accelerating particles like electrons. When these collide with air molecules, they trigger cascades of collisions that lead to nuclear reactions, producing detectable gamma rays and even short-lived antimatter beams.

There is still much we don’t fully understand about the processes happening inside storm clouds, but the new findings suggest a possible connection between gamma-ray glows and the start of lightning.

The research is detailed in two studies published in the journal Nature, and the team explains their work in the video below.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

Read more: Climate Change: ‘Sand Battery’ Can Fix Environment-Friendly Energy’s Significant Problem