The production mechanism for terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) is not entirely understood, and details of the corresponding lightning activity and thunderstorm charge structure have yet to be fully characterized. Here we examine sub‐microsecond VHF (14–88 MHz) radio interferometer observations of a 247‐kA peak‐current EIP, or energetic in‐cloud pulse, a reliable radio signature of a subset of TGFs. The EIP consisted of three high‐amplitude sferic pulses lasting ≃60 μs in total, which peaked during the second (main) pulse. The EIP occurred during a normal‐polarity intracloud lightning flash that was highly unusual, in that the initial upward negative leader was particularly fast propagating and discharged a highly concentrated region of upper‐positive storm charge. The flash was initiated by a high‐power (46 kW) narrow bipolar event (NBE), and the EIP occurred about 3 ms later after ≃3 km upward flash development. The EIP was preceded ≃200 μs by a fast 6 × 10⁶ m/s upward negative breakdown and immediately preceded and accompanied by repeated sequences of fast (10⁷–10⁸ m/s) downward then upward streamer events each lasting 10 to 20 μs, which repeatedly discharged a large volume of positive charge. Although the repeated streamer sequences appeared to be a characteristic feature of the EIP and were presumably involved in initiating it, the EIP sferic evolved independently of VHF‐producing activity, supporting the idea that the sferic was produced by relativistic discharge currents. Moreover, the relativistic currents during the main sferic pulse initiated a strong NBE‐like event comparable in VHF power (115 kW) to the highest‐power NBEs.

中文翻译：

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无线电干涉仪对高能云脉冲的观测揭示了相对论性放电产生的大电流

地面伽玛射线闪光（TGFs）的产生机理尚不完全清楚，相应的雷电活动和雷暴电荷结构的细节尚未完全阐明。在这里，我们检查了247kA峰值电流EIP或高能云脉冲的亚微秒VHF（14–88 MHz）无线电干涉仪观测结果，这是TGFs子集的可靠无线电信号。的EIP由三个高振幅脉冲sferic持久的≃ 60 μ总共s，在第二个（主）脉冲期间达到峰值。EIP发生在极不寻常的正极性云内闪电闪光期间，因为最初的负负先导极快地传播，并释放了高度集中的上正暴风带。闪光是由高功率（46 kW）窄双极事件（NBE）引发的，EIP在向上≃3 km闪光发展约3 ms后发生。的EIP物之前≃ 200 μ由快速小号6×10 ⁶米/秒向上负击穿和其前后伴有的快速重复序列（10 ⁷ -10 ⁸米/秒）向下然后向上拖缆事件每次持续10至20μ s，这反复排出的大量正电荷的。尽管重复的流光序列似乎是EIP的一个特征，并且大概参与了EIP的形成，但EIP的铁​​蛋白独立于VHF产生活动而进化，支持了铁蛋白是由相对论性放电电流产生的想法。此外，主干脉冲期间的相对论电流引发了类似NBE的强烈事件，其VHF功率（115 kW）与最高功率的NBE相当。