Erlangen 2026 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 40: Cosmic Rays II

T 40.9: Vortrag

Dienstag, 17. März 2026, 18:15–18:30, KS 00.006

Development of Radio-Interferometric Lightning Reconstruction for BOLT Using AERA Measurements^* — •Melanie Joan Weitz for the Pierre Auger collaboration — Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Gaußstraße 20, 42119 Wuppertal

The Pierre Auger Observatory has detected downward terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) with its water-Cherenkov detectors. A key to understanding this high-energy radiation in thunderstorms is to combine such measurements with those of lightning processes in their earliest stages. The Broadband Observatory of Lightning and TGFs (BOLT) is a detector currently under construction for imaging lightning propagation in three dimensions using radio interferometry. With eleven modified Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) stations and their bandwidth range from 30-80 MHz, the necessary spatial and temporal resolution can be provided.
To prepare for BOLT measurements, we characterize lightning signals in existing AERA data to validate the instrument design, particularly concerning the signal amplitude and dynamic range. We will present the reconstructed location and emission time of lightning candidates observed with AERA stations using external lightning information. Furthermore, we present the development of a radio-interferometric analysis suitable for application to the first BOLT signal traces.

^*Supported by BMBF Verbundforschung Astroteilchenphysik (Vorhaben 05A23PX1)

Keywords: lightning detection; time of arrival; radio interferometry; terrestrial gamma-ray flash