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Electro-Optic Lighting DetectorThe design, alignment, calibration, and field deployment of a solid-state lightning detector is described. The primary sensing component of the detector is a potassium dihydrogen phosphate electro-optic crystal that is attached in series to a flat-plate aluminum antenna; the antenna is exposed to the ambient thundercloud electric field. A semiconductor laser diode (lambda = 685 nm), polarizing optics, and the crystal are arranged in a Pockels cell configuration. Lightning-caused electric field changes are related to small changes in the transmission of laser light through the optical cell. Several hundred lightning electric field change excursions were recorded during five thunderstorms that occurred in the summer of 1998 at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in northern Alabama.
Document ID
20000012417
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Koshak, William J.
(Global Hydrology and Climate Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Solakiewicz, Richard J.
(Chicago State Univ. Chicago, IL United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
July 20, 1999
Publication Information
Publication: Applied Optics
Publisher: Optical Society of America
Volume: 38
Issue: 21
ISSN: 0003-6935
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: Proj. 96-11
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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