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Atmospheric Electric Field as a Possible Cause of Radio Pulses from Extensive Air Showers

Abstract

VARIOUS mechanisms have been proposed for the origin of the radio pulses which are found1–6 to be associated with large cosmic-ray extensive air showers. While these proposed mechanisms differ in detail, they all depend essentially either on enhanced Cherenkov radiation from an electron excess in the shower7 or on charge separation effects in the Earth's magnetic field8; these effects are believed to contribute about equally to the observed pulses2. It appears that charge separation by the electric field of the lower atmosphere may also play a significant part under certain atmospheric conditions.

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CHARMAN, W. Atmospheric Electric Field as a Possible Cause of Radio Pulses from Extensive Air Showers. Nature 215, 497–498 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/215497b0

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