Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Skylar Wardlaw, Senior Ainsley Helgerson Maria Kaminska Logan Velvet Georgii Dubrov Jackson Stewart Aaron Jung Nathaniel O’Hara Amelia Koth Nash McLeod Emaleth Wyckoff
Lead Presenter's Name
Skylar Wardlaw
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Arts and Sciences
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Jeremy Riousset
Abstract
The muon is a high-energy particle that can be produced by cosmic rays and trigger upper-atmospheric particle cascades and energetic processes. It has been hypothesized that such cascades are at the onset of lightning. As such, muons serve as a valuable probe for investigating the underlying mechanisms of its initiation, whose full governing dynamics remain vastly unknown despite extensive research. Traditional approaches to lightning research involve simulations and observations of the discharge itself, but the role of high-energy particle interactions has yet to be fully constrained. The CosmicWatch Muon Detector design enables the detection of atmospheric muons through scintillation events, providing precise temporal measurements of particle flux at ground level. Our project focuses on Bounded Thunderstorm Tracking of Lightning Events with muon detection (BoTTLE) and utilizes an array of such detectors to systematically monitor muon activity in conjunction with observed lightning events. The calculated spatial coverage for the muon detectors is approximately 3.75 km2 at a height of 800 mb (~2 km) with a muon incidence angle of ±47.53º. Our objectives are to examine whether significant correlations exist between increases in muon flux and the occurrence of lightning discharges. Following preliminary tests of the detectors, project BoTTLE will measure muon fluxes within isolated Florida thunderstorms. Future analysis will integrate data from lightning detection instruments such as the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) to better constrain the physical relationship between muon influx and lightning occurrence.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Included in
Applied Statistics Commons, Atmospheric Sciences Commons, Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Commons
Bounded Thunderstorm Tracking of Lightning Events with muon detection
The muon is a high-energy particle that can be produced by cosmic rays and trigger upper-atmospheric particle cascades and energetic processes. It has been hypothesized that such cascades are at the onset of lightning. As such, muons serve as a valuable probe for investigating the underlying mechanisms of its initiation, whose full governing dynamics remain vastly unknown despite extensive research. Traditional approaches to lightning research involve simulations and observations of the discharge itself, but the role of high-energy particle interactions has yet to be fully constrained. The CosmicWatch Muon Detector design enables the detection of atmospheric muons through scintillation events, providing precise temporal measurements of particle flux at ground level. Our project focuses on Bounded Thunderstorm Tracking of Lightning Events with muon detection (BoTTLE) and utilizes an array of such detectors to systematically monitor muon activity in conjunction with observed lightning events. The calculated spatial coverage for the muon detectors is approximately 3.75 km2 at a height of 800 mb (~2 km) with a muon incidence angle of ±47.53º. Our objectives are to examine whether significant correlations exist between increases in muon flux and the occurrence of lightning discharges. Following preliminary tests of the detectors, project BoTTLE will measure muon fluxes within isolated Florida thunderstorms. Future analysis will integrate data from lightning detection instruments such as the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) to better constrain the physical relationship between muon influx and lightning occurrence.