The formation of lightning has long been a mystery in the study of this natural phenomenon. Dutch scientists have recently announced that they have finally decoded this puzzling question.
The Process of Lightning Formation
The process of lightning strikes is relatively clear: electric fields within storm clouds undergo a short circuit, generating flashes of light and immense energy. However, how this phenomenon initiates has only recently been discovered in a new study by experts from the National Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science in the Netherlands, in collaboration with the University of Groningen and the University of Brussels (Belgium).
Researchers indicate that lightning begins with large ice particles forming in storm clouds. These particles originate from hailstones moving up and down in the turbulent air within the storm clouds.
As these ice particles grow into elongated shapes, about 6 cm in length, they concentrate the electric field within the clouds toward their tips, creating what is known as a “leader.”
Typically, there are not many free electrons in the surrounding air to short-circuit these leaders and produce lightning. However, high-energy cosmic rays from meteors, black holes, etc., can generate showers of free electrons.
If an electric field is generated at a height of 3 meters with an area of 0.2 square meters, a single rain particle formed from a cosmic ray can also trigger a lightning strike by short-circuiting the leaders.
This model suggests that the likelihood of lightning occurring at higher altitudes, above 12 km, is low because the large ice particles formed in the clouds cannot reach the necessary length to generate a sufficiently strong electric field.
“We now have all the pieces to clearly understand the origin of lightning. The initiation of lightning strikes is incredibly complex, as many processes occur across different spatial, temporal, and energy scales,” emphasized Dr. Ute Ebert, a member of the research team.
