[M-IS18] [JJ] Atmospheric electricity

[MIS18-06] Ground observation of thermal neutrons from Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flash above wind turbine

*Gregory S Bowers¹, David M Smith¹, Masashi Kamogawa², Shusa Takahashi², Akiko Ishikawa², Stan Heckman³, Michael Stock³, Steve Cummer⁴, Daohong Wang⁵, Yasuhide Hobara⁶, Zen Kawasaki⁷ (1.University of California Santa Cruz, 2.Tokyo Gakugei University, 3.Earth Networks, 4.Duke University, 5.GIFU University, 6.The University of Electro-Communications, 7.Osaka University )

Keywords:Lightning, Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flash, TGF, Radiation, Neutron, Wind Turbine

During a thunderstorm on December 3rd, 2015, coincident with an upward leader originating from a lightning protection tower next to the wind turbine in Uchinada, the Gamma-ray Observations During Overhead Thunderstorms (GODOT) instrument observed a large, ~100ms duration, flux of radiation with a spectral signature characteristic of thermal neutron production. We will present our observations and show comparisons to monte-carlo simulations, proposing that we have the observed the first neutron glow from a Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flash, produced by photonuclear reactions of gamma-rays with the air and ground molecules around the wind turbine.