Lightning Near Fields Generated by Return Stroke Current

Abstract

The results of the return stroke modeling suggests that the path tortuosity is not a major factor in the nearby induced fields. The electric field in the vicinity of the channel is predominantly electrostatic and proportional to the reciprocal of the wave velocity. The shapes of the predicted waveforms are Consistent with field measurements of nearby lightning. The large magnitude of all field components in the vicinity of the channel suggests that a nearby strike could pose a real threat to aircraft electrical systems, even though the aircraft itself is not struck.