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TOTO-Cheyenne 2019: Ionizing Radiation from Thunderstorms on Cheyenne Mountain
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  • Sandra Miarecki,
  • Matthew McHarg,
  • Jacob Harley,
  • J Eric Grove,
  • Eric Wulf
Sandra Miarecki
US Air Force Academy

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Matthew McHarg
US Air Force Academy
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Jacob Harley
US Air Force Academy
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J Eric Grove
Naval Research Lab DC
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Eric Wulf
Naval Research Lab DC
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Abstract

We present our results on the second year of TOTO-Cheyenne (TGFs On Top Of Cheyenne), a continuing collaboration of the US Air Force Academy and the Naval Research Laboratory. The project’s goal is to study the ionizing radiation as lightning strikes near the antenna farm on the top of Cheyenne Mountain, near Colorado Springs CO. Thunderstorms and accompanying lightning produce ionizing radiation on time scales from milliseconds to minutes. This radiation includes terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, hard X-rays from stepped leaders, gamma-ray glows, and thunderstorm ground enhancements. Recent measurements indicate that getting up close and personal with the storms might produce more details about the complex processes inside. The US Rocky Mountains offer the opportunity to do just that by getting closer to the charge layers. This year’s experiment (starting in May 2019 and continuing to October 2019) involved the setup of a high speed camera at the Air Force Academy facing south to watch Cheyenne Mountain plus the reinstallation of a small gamma-ray and X-ray detection system (NaI and plastic scintillators) on the mountain. This year has proven to be a very active storm year. As of 20 July, there were already 25 strikes within 2 km of the detector (compared to 1 strike during the summer 2018).