AE33A-0479
Flash-Bang Detector to Model the Attenuation of High-Energy Photons
Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Nicanor Pagsanjan III1, Nicole Ann Kelley2,3, David Miles Smith2 and John Glen Sample4, (1)College of San Mateo, San Mateo, CA, United States, (2)University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States, (3)University of California Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States, (4)University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
Abstract:
It has been known for years that lightning and thunderstorms produce gamma rays and x-rays. Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are extremely bright bursts of gamma rays originating from thunderstorms. X-ray stepped leaders are bursts of x-rays coming from the lightning channel. It is known that the attenuation of these high-energy photons is a function of distance, losing energy and intensity at larger distances. To complement gamma-ray detectors on the ground it would be useful to measure the distance to the flash. Knowing the distance would allow for the true source fluence of gamma rays or x-rays to be modeled. A flash-bang detector, which uses a micro-controller, a photodiode, a microphone and temperature sensor will be able to detect the times at which lightning and thunder occurs. Knowing the speed of sound as function of temperature and the time difference between the flash and the thunder, the range to the lightning can be calculated. We will present the design of our detector as well as some preliminary laboratory test results.
