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Non-detection of lightning during the second Parker Solar Probe Venus gravity assist
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  • Marc Pulupa,
  • Stuart D. Bale,
  • Shannon M. Curry,
  • William Farrell,
  • Katherine Amanda Goodrich,
  • Keith Goetz,
  • Peter R Harvey,
  • David M. Malaspina,
  • Nour-Eddine Raouafi
Marc Pulupa
Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley

Corresponding Author:pulupa@berkeley.edu

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Stuart D. Bale
UC Berkeley, UC Berkeley
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Shannon M. Curry
UC Berkeley, UC Berkeley
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William Farrell
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
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Katherine Amanda Goodrich
University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Berkeley
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Keith Goetz
University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota
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Peter R Harvey
Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
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David M. Malaspina
University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Boulder
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Nour-Eddine Raouafi
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
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Abstract

The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) spacecraft completed its second Venus gravity assist maneuver (VGA2) on 2019 December 26. For a 20 minute interval surrounding closest approach, the PSP/FIELDS Radio Frequency Spectrometer (RFS) was set to ‘burst mode’, recording radio spectra from 1.3–19.2 MHz at sub-second cadence. We analyze this burst mode data, searching for signatures of radio frequency EMP or ‘sferic’ emission from lightning discharges. During the burst mode interval, only 4 spectra were observed with strong impulsive signals, and all 4 could be attributed to saturation of the RFS high gain stage by \emph{in situ} electrostatic plasma waves. These RFS measurements during VGA2 are consistent with previous non-detection of radio frequency lightning signals from Venus.