A New Hybrid Algorithm to Image Lightning Channels Combining the Time Difference of Arrival Technique and Electromagnetic Time Reversal Technique

Very-high-frequency (VHF) electromagnetic signals have been well used to image lightning channels with high temporal and spatial resolution due to their capability to penetrate clouds. A lightning broadband VHF interferometer with three VHF antennas configured in a scalene-triangle shape has been installed in Lhasa since 2019, to detect the lightning VHF signals. Using the signals from the VHF interferometer, a new hybrid algorithm, called the TDOA-EMTR technique, combining the time difference of arrival (TDOA) and the electromagnetic time reversal (EMTR) technique is introduced to image the two-dimensional lightning channels. The TDOA technique is firstly applied to calculate the initial solutions for the whole lightning flash. According to the results by the TDOA method, the domain used for the EMTR technique is predetermined, and then the EMTR technique is operated to obtain the final positioning result. Unlike the original EMTR technique, the low-power frequency points for each time window are removed based on the FFT spectrum. Metrics used to filter noise events are adjusted. Detailed imaging results of a negative cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash and an intra-cloud (IC) lightning flash by the TDOA method and the TDOA-EMTR are presented. Compared with the original EMTR method, the positioning efficiency can be improved by more than a factor of 3 to 4, depending on the scope of the pre-determined domain. Results show that the new algorithm can obtain much weaker radiation sources and simultaneously occurring sources, compared with the TDOA method.