Lightning-related cosmic ray air shower flashes detected by LHAASO-KM2A

Issued Date

2025-12-30

Resource Type

Conference Paper

eISSN

18248039

DOI

10.22323/1.501.0279

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-105029004425

Journal Title

Proceedings of Science

Volume

501

Rights Holder(s)

SCOPUS

Bibliographic Citation

Proceedings of Science Vol.501 (2025)

Suggested Citation

Cao Z., Aharonian F., Bai Y.X., Bao Y.W., Bastieri D., Bi X.J., Bi Y.J., Bian W., Bukevich A.V., Cai C.M., Cao W.Y., Cao Z., Chang J., Chang J.F., Chen A.M., Chen E.S., Chen G.H., Chen H.X., Chen L., Chen L., Chen M.J., Chen M.L., Chen Q.H., Chen S., Chen S.H., Chen S.Z., Chen T.L., Chen X.B., Chen X.J., Chen Y., Cheng N., Cheng Y.D., Chu M.C., Cui M.Y., Cui S.W., Cui X.H., Cui Y.D., Dai B.Z., Dai H.L., Dai Z.G., Danzengluobu, Diao Y.X., Dong X.Q., Duan K.K., Fan J.H., Fan Y.Z., Fang J., Fang J.H., Fang K., Feng C.F., Feng H., Feng L., Feng S.H., Feng X.T., Feng Y., Feng Y.L., Gabici S., Gao B., Gao C.D., Gao Q., Gao W., Gao W.K., Ge M.M., Ge T.T., Geng L.S., Giacinti G., Gong G.H., Gou Q.B., Gu M.H., Guo F.L., Guo J., Guo X.L., Guo Y.Q., Guo Y.Y., Han Y.A., Hannuksela O.A., Hasan M., He H.H., He H.N., He J.Y., He X.Y., He Y., Hernández-Cadena S., Hou B.W., Hou C., Hou X., Hu H.B., Hu S.C., Huang C., Huang D.H., Huang J.J., Huang T.Q., Huang W.J., Huang X.T., Huang X.Y., Huang Y., Huang Y.Y., Ji X.L., Jia H.Y., Jia K. Lightning-related cosmic ray air shower flashes detected by LHAASO-KM2A. Proceedings of Science Vol.501 (2025). doi:10.22323/1.501.0279 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/114880

Title

Lightning-related cosmic ray air shower flashes detected by LHAASO-KM2A

Author(s)

Cao Z.
 Aharonian F.
 Bai Y.X.
 Bao Y.W.
 Bastieri D.
 Bi X.J.
 Bi Y.J.
 Bian W.
 Bukevich A.V.
 Cai C.M.
 Cao W.Y.
 Cao Z.
 Chang J.
 Chang J.F.
 Chen A.M.
 Chen E.S.
 Chen G.H.
 Chen H.X.
 Chen L.
 Chen L.
 Chen M.J.
 Chen M.L.
 Chen Q.H.
 Chen S.
 Chen S.H.
 Chen S.Z.
 Chen T.L.
 Chen X.B.
 Chen X.J.
 Chen Y.
 Cheng N.
 Cheng Y.D.
 Chu M.C.
 Cui M.Y.
 Cui S.W.
 Cui X.H.
 Cui Y.D.
 Dai B.Z.
 Dai H.L.
 Dai Z.G.
 Danzengluobu
 Diao Y.X.
 Dong X.Q.
 Duan K.K.
 Fan J.H.
 Fan Y.Z.
 Fang J.
 Fang J.H.
 Fang K.
 Feng C.F.
 Feng H.
 Feng L.
 Feng S.H.
 Feng X.T.
 Feng Y.
 Feng Y.L.
 Gabici S.
 Gao B.
 Gao C.D.
 Gao Q.
 Gao W.
 Gao W.K.
 Ge M.M.
 Ge T.T.
 Geng L.S.
 Giacinti G.
 Gong G.H.
 Gou Q.B.
 Gu M.H.
 Guo F.L.
 Guo J.
 Guo X.L.
 Guo Y.Q.
 Guo Y.Y.
 Han Y.A.
 Hannuksela O.A.
 Hasan M.
 He H.H.
 He H.N.
 He J.Y.
 He X.Y.
 He Y.
 Hernández-Cadena S.
 Hou B.W.
 Hou C.
 Hou X.
 Hu H.B.
 Hu S.C.
 Huang C.
 Huang D.H.
 Huang J.J.
 Huang T.Q.
 Huang W.J.
 Huang X.T.
 Huang X.Y.
 Huang Y.
 Huang Y.Y.
 Ji X.L.
 Jia H.Y.
 Jia K.

Author's Affiliation

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
 Tsinghua University
 Shanghai Jiao Tong University
 Sun Yat-Sen University
 University of Science and Technology of China
 Université Paris Cité
 Shandong University
 Nanjing University
 Chinese University of Hong Kong
 Zhengzhou University
 Southwest Jiaotong University
 Yunnan University
 Guangzhou University
 Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
 National Astronomical Observatories Chinese Academy of Sciences
 Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
 Hebei Normal University
 Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences
 Yerevan State University
 China Center of Advanced Science and Technology World Laboratory
 Zhejiang Lab
 Purple Mountain Observatory Chinese Academy of Sciences
 Shanghai Astronomical Observatory Chinese Academy of Sciences
 Yunnan Observatories
 Tibet University
 State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection & Electronics
 TIANFU Cosmic Ray Research Center
 School of Physics

Corresponding Author(s)

Cao Z.

Other Contributor(s)

Mahidol University

Abstract

Lightning is a common electrical discharge phenomenon in the atmosphere, which involves processes of lightning leader and return stroke. The strength of the atmospheric electric field (AEF) in the leader can be up to 3000-4000 V/cm. In such a strong field, the relativistic runaway electron avalanche (RREA) mechanism could be initiated by the secondary electrons in extensive air shower (EAS). A large number of electrons and bremsstrahlung photons are produced in RREA process. These particles associated with downward lightning leader can be detected by ground-based experiments. As a sub-array of LHAASO, KM2A contains 5216 electromagnetic particle detectors (EDs) and 1188 muon detectors (MDs). The high altitude of LHAASO (4410 m a.s.l.) and the large area of KM2A (1.3 km<sup>2</sup>), made LHAASO-KM2A suitable to study the lightning-related cosmic ray air shower flashes (referred as TGF-like, similar to the TGF detected by satellite-based experiment). In this work, by analyzing the KM2A data and the information about thunderstorm/lightning at LHAASO site, the characteristics of candidate TGF-like events (such as intensity variations and spatiotemporal distributions) are studied. It can be found that the flux increases abruptly. The temporal distribution becomes notably broader, with several hundred microseconds in duration. The spatial distribution becomes diffuse, even covering the entire KM2A array. These results offer valuable insights into the variation of KM2A data, and provide important information to study the lightning flashes in the atmosphere.

Keyword(s)

Multidisciplinary

Availability

URI

https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/114880

Collections

Scopus 2025