
Signature of Antimatter Detected in Lightning  - Anon84
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/11/antimatter-lightning/
======
RK
_During lightning storms previously observed by spacecraft, energetic
electrons moving toward the craft slowed down and produced gamma rays._

That actually sounds like bremsstrahlung x-rays, not gamma rays. They have
very different energy spectra due to their origin. Although you can also slow
down the electrons by first producing an electron-positron pair, and then the
positron will decay into two gammas.

------
teeja
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning#Gamma_rays_and_the_ru...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning#Gamma_rays_and_the_runaway_breakdown_theory)

------
rbranson
Anyone want to shed light on why this is significant? IANAScientist.

~~~
teeja
Since the 1920s, up until a decade or so ago: "Many investigators believed
that the lower atmosphere was too dense for electrons to accelerate to speeds
high enough to emit x-rays and other high-energy particles. Instead, they
thought that lightning worked by conventional energy discharge--a bigger
version of the spark that occurs when you touch a doorknob after trudging
across the rug."

[http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=x-rays-
abou...](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=x-rays-abound-when-
lightn)

Pilots reported red and blue jets and sprites for a long time but noone
believed them.

<http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/elements/bluejets.htm>

How thunderstorms work is still poorly understood. This building evidence is
exciting a lot of new research and ideas. A lot of people are impressed that
the earth can generate gamma rays of higher energy than those from the sun.

------
dnewcome
"But for now, he said, the answer is up in the air." Worst pun ever.

------
CamperBob
I'd sure like to assume they have ruled out plain old lightning-induced RFI to
their instrumentation.

