A spectral comparison of lightning discharge plasma and laser-induced air plasma

Abstract

The high time-resolved spectrum of natural lightning is obtained by a slitless spectrograph. The spectrum of natural lightning is compared to the spectrum of laser-induced air plasma. The results show that the spectra of lightning and the spectra of laser-induced air plasma are similar, but they also have some differences. In the superimposed spectrum of lightning, the intensities of atomic lines are far stronger than those of ionic lines, and the continuous spectrum in the whole wavelength region is very strong. However, in the spectrum of laser-induced air plasma, the intensities of atomic lines are similar to those of ionic lines, and there is almost no continuous spectrum in the near-infrared region. In addition, the Hα line is strong in the lightning spectrum but very weak in the spectrum of laser-induced air plasma. The temperature, electron density, and conductivity are calculated, and their evolution with time is also given. The differences in the three physical parameters between lightning and laser-induced air plasma are analyzed. In addition, the reasons of spectral differences have been explained. These results will provide an important reference for the simulation of the lightning spectrum.