Objective
Only 20 years after the discovery of Cosmic Gamma-ray Bursts from the universe another completely unknown phenomenon involving gamma-rays was discovered by coincidence the BATSE instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. Short-lived (~1 ms) and very energetic photon emissions (>1 MeV and later: >40 MeV) were found to originate from the Earth’s atmosphere and were named Terrestrial Gamma Flashes (TGFs). These flashes are the most energetic natural photon phenomenon that is known to exist on Earth, in which also anti-matter is produced. Based on the few datasets available to date we believe that TGFs are related to electric discharges in thunderstorm systems and that electrons accelerated to relativistic energies are involved to produce bremsstrahlung of such high energies. However, it is not known how frequent TGFs are, the altitude range and the spatial extent of their source region, to what kind of thunderstorms and lightning they are related or the implications of relativistic electrons and positrons ejected into space. There is no consensus on how TGFs are produced. All these questions need to be answered before we understand how important they are and how they may affect the Earth’s electrical circuit and atmosphere.
The goal of the TGF-MEPPA project is to attack these questions by combining modelling of electron acceleration in thunderstorm electric fields, X- and gamma-ray production and propagation, lightning development with unprecedented measurements of TGFs from three different altitudes: 350 km, 30 km and 20 km to obtain the most comprehensive and detailed dataset needed to make significant advances in the TGF research. I will also perform electric discharge experiments in the laboratory. The goal is to establish a consistent model for the TGF-production and answer the question ‘How common are TGFs?’ to determine their implications for the Earth’s electrical circuit, atmosphere and outer space.
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.
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.
- natural sciences physical sciences relativistic mechanics
- natural sciences physical sciences theoretical physics particle physics photons
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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.
Topic(s)
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.
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.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2012-ADG_20120216
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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.
Host institution
5020 Bergen
Norway
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.