Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jun 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006aas...208.2104w&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society Meeting 208, #21.04; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.102
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Lightning and related natural electrical discharge phenomena occur on many solar system bodies, most notably the Earth and the gas giants. It has also been suggested that lightning within the protosolar nebula may explain the melt properties of meteoritic chondrules. We consider conditions under which electrical discharge might occur within the interstellar medium. Such discharge would most likely require a gas with a small ionization fraction, such as a diffuse HI region or a molecular cloud. We discuss processes that might create the electric field or emf necessary for electrical breakdown. After considering grain charging rates in turbulent gas, we estimate the magnitude of charge separation by turbulent clustering of charged dust grains, and estimate time scales for charge neutralization by the electron current. We calculate a local heating rate due to an interstellar discharge and use the appropriate cooling rates for each type of region to estimate a temperature history associated with the discharge. Possible chemical and electromagnetic signatures of interstellar lightning are discussed.
Scalo John
Williams Peter T.
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