I am currently working on a bachelor’s thesis on physics and the weather. Here I focus on a thunderstorm. During the lightning part, I encountered discharges from runaway electrons (Wilson). What exactly are runaway electrons? What happens to that frictional force? Can one link to the theory of relativity here?
Answer
free electrons are in equilibrium and almost non-existent in a neutral environment, because they spontaneously bind to positive ions.
under the influence of an electric field, thermal agitation, impact by other particle and electrons, the photoelectric effect etc; can release electrons from their ions (“ionize”) MOLECULE -> e- + ION+. When the free electrons are in thermal equilibrium with the environment, they have an average “thermal” velocity of about 100000m/s. They form an electron gas. If the electron gas is also a +ion gas at the same time, it is completely neutral and we speak of a plasma.
Under the influence of electric field, free electrons will accelerate. They gain kinetic energy until they lose it again in a collision. If this collision energy is large enough to ionize a neutral molecule in turn, it creates a new e- / ION+ pair (or something similar). From a critical electric field, these electrons can multiply indefinitely. “Avalanche multiplication” creates a very high density of plasma, and its charge carriers cause the rapid discharge that we call lightning.
The frictional force on the electrons is exactly this cascade of collisions.
Although these electrons travel very fast, a few 100000 to 1000000 m/s, they are not relativistic.
Answered by
Engineer Bart Dierickx
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