Project description
The shocking truth about lightning’s physics
Lightning remains one of nature’s deepest mysteries. We still cannot explain exactly how a bolt is initiated high in a storm cloud or why it emits X-rays, energies far exceeding theoretical expectations. The ERC-funded Bottled Lightning project aims to build a unique, immense discharge chamber to recreate a storm in miniature. By carefully controlling the atmosphere and dropping ice-like particles through intense, varying electric fields, the researchers plan to trigger and sustain artificial flashes with high reproducibility. Using voltage pulses that surpass existing experiments by orders of magnitude, the team will pinpoint the mechanisms of ignition and track how leader discharges propagate. This will move our understanding of this violent phenomenon from theory into quantifiable laboratoryresults.
Objective
Despite the huge impact of lightning, its fundamental properties are still very poorly understood. With this project I want to build an infrastructure of carefully designed laboratory experiments in a novel physical regime, that will provide the conditions required to understand lightning phenomena. I will use this to answer some of the major open questions in lightning and high voltage discharge research. I will provide major scientific breakthroughs to answer the questions on 1) how lightning is initiated, 2) how lightning propagates by so-called leaders and 3) how these leaders emit energetic radiation (X-rays). The experiments will be complemented by dedicated numerical simulations for the best interpretation.
Initiation of lightning within thunderclouds involves a complex, yet not understood interplay between electric fields, ice particles, charges and cosmic rays. I will have ice-like particles fall through varying electric fields in the novel discharge chamber and observe when discharges form and when they are strong enough to initiate lightning.
Once initiated, lightning propagates through so-called leader discharges, but the exact mechanism has only been hypothesized. I want to understand how this is controlled by streamer discharges around it. During inception and propagation, lightning emits X-rays and other energetic radiation with energies far above expected electron energies. I will pinpoint the location and mechanism of such emissions with high reproducibility.
The experiments will be unique in the world, due to the large discharge chamber, its highly controlled atmosphere, and its accompanying pulse source surpassing existing experiments by orders in voltage risetime and amplitude. This will expose new physical phenomena and thereby lead to great insights and uses: for the lightning community, validation of simulations and theories and understanding of lightning radio emissions, and for high voltage engineers tools to improve their devices.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2023-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
5612 AE Eindhoven
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.