# Downward Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flash observed in Winter Thunderstorm

## TL;DR

This study reports the detection of a downward terrestrial gamma-ray flash during a winter thunderstorm, characterized by intense gamma-ray bunches coincident with lightning, and estimates its altitude and electron involvement.

## Contribution

First observation of a downward TGF during winter thunderstorms, with detailed measurements and Monte Carlo simulations estimating its altitude and electron count.

## Key findings

- Detected gamma-ray burst up to 10 MeV during lightning
- Identified four gamma-ray bunches separated by milliseconds
- Estimated the TGF occurred at ~2500 meters altitude

## Abstract

During a winter thunderstorm on 2017 November 24, a strong burst of gamma rays with energies up to $\sim$10~MeV was detected coincident with a lightning discharge, by scintillation detectors installed at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station at sea level in Japan. The burst had a sub-second duration, which is suggestive of photoneutron productions. The leading part of the burst was resolved into four intense gamma-ray bunches, each coincident with a low-frequency radio pulse. These bunches were separated by 0.7--1.5~ms, with a duration of $\ll$1~ms each. Thus, the present burst may be considered as a ``downward" terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF), which is analogous to up-going TGFs observed from space. Although the scintillation detectors were heavily saturated by these bunches, the total dose associated with them was successfully measured by ionization chambers, employed by nine monitoring posts surrounding the power plant. From this information and Monte Carlo simulations, the present downward TGF is suggested to have taken place at an altitude of 2500 $\pm$ 500~m, involving $8^{+8}_{-4} \times 10^{18}$ avalanche electrons with energies above 1~MeV. This number is comparable to those in up-going TGFs.