Abstract
THE fact that large cosmic ray air showers can generate detectable pulses of electromagnetic radiation at radio frequencies was first established by Jelley and his collaborators at Harwell, Jodrell Bank and Dublin1,2. The pulses have been detected by several other research groups3–5, but there is as yet no clear picture of just how the radiation is produced. Theoretical treatments by Kahn and Lerche6, Colgate (personal communication) and Allan7, all suggest that the principal mechanism should be the motion of charge due to the lateral displacement of shower particles by the Earth's magnetic field. The polarization to be expected from this geomagnetic mechanism is perpendicular both to the shower axis and to the magnetic field lines.
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References
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ALLAN, H., NEAT, K. & JONES, J. Mechanism of Radio Emission from Extensive Air Showers. Nature 215, 267–268 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/215267a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/215267a0
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