A Detailed Investigation of Thunderstorm Events Recorded in GRAPES-3 Experiment

Abstract

The large area tracking muon telescope of the GRAPES-3 experiment reported the measurement of 1.3 GV electric potential developed in one of the massive thunderclouds recorded on 1 December 2014 by using muon imaging technique [1].The record-breaking Giga-Volt potential is ten times larger than the earlier reported direct measurements by balloon and rocket soundings, which proves ∼ 90 years old prediction by C.T.R.Wilson.However, the GRAPES-3 measurements rely on precise estimation of change in angular muon flux caused by the energy change due to acceleration of muons during its propagation through charged layers of thunderclouds.The electric potential is estimated by detailed modeling of change in muon flux as a function of applied potential using CORSIKA and in-house Monte Carlo simulation tools.A detailed summary on simulation methods and investigation of 184 thunderstorms recorded by the GRAPES-3 during the period from April 2011 to December 2014 will be discussed. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.