## On the estimation of lightning peak currents from measured fields using lightning location systems

Although, due to the high variability of key parameters such as the return-stroke speed, it is impossible to determine the lightning current accurately from the remotely measured electric or magnetic field for a given event, we show in this paper that, for an assumed return-stroke model, the statistical estimation (e.g. in terms of mean values and standard deviations) is possible. We show additionally that for the transmission line (TL) model, the equation permitting to infer the mean value of the return-stroke current from the mean value of electric or magnetic field and the mean value of speed has the same functional form as the well-known TL current - far field relationship. This result gives to some extent a theoretical justification to the use of lightning location systems to infer parameters of lightning current statistical distributions from measured fields alone

Published in:
Journal of Electrostatics, 60, 2-4, 121-9
Year:
2004
ISSN:
0304-3886
Keywords:
Note:
lightning location systems;lightning peak currents estimation;return-stroke speed;lightning current;magnetic field measurement;statistical estimation;electric field measurement;transmission line;lightning current statistical distributions;
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