IMPACT OF LIGHTNING ON OPTICAL FIBERS

Stanislav A. Sokolov,
Institute of Radio and Information Systems (IRIS), Vienna, Austria

DOI: 10.36724/2664-066X-2023-9-4-10-14

SYNCHROINFO JOURNAL. Volume 9, Number 4 (2023). P. 10-14.

Abstract

The study of trigger lightning is of great practical importance, since the action of protective structures and lightning rods, as well as the development of lightning discharges in high-rise buildings and in the mountains, begins as in trigger lightning with the development of a positive leader to the cloud, and flashes of γ-rays possibly occur during lightning discharges with high structures, which is confirmed by practice, since the occurrence of X-ray and γ-rays was observed inside or close to clouds and on mountain tops. If an optical cable contains metal elements in its design, then they are exposed to current, the value of which can reach several tens of kiloamperes. It is the magnitude of the current during lightning strikes and the consequences of its impact on objects that have always attracted the attention of researchers, while the other characteristics of lightning have received less attention. Meanwhile, the return stroke phase of the lightning strike process, during which a current of hundreds of kiloamperes can flow, is a relatively short-lived part of the lightning strike. Recent research into lightning has revealed surprising new phenomena that are not yet fully understood and require further study to determine the dangers they pose to fiber optic communication lines and the need for possible protective measures.

Keywords: Fiber optic communication lines, trigger lightning

References

[1] J.R. Dwyer et al., “X-ray bursts associated with leader steps in cloud-to-ground lightning,” Geophysical Research Letters, vol.32, L01803, 2005.

[2] J.R. Dwyer et al., “A ground level gamma-ray burst observed with rocket-triggered lightning,” Geophysical Research Letters, vol.31, L05119, 2004.

[3] A.V. Gurevich, K.P. Zybin, “Runaway breakdown and electric discharges in thunderstorms,” Phys.Usp. No. 44, pp. 1119-1140.

[4] E.L. Portnov, “Seven transport routes for fiber-optic communication lines – features and characteristics,” T-Comm. 2018. Vol. 12. No. 4, pp. 72-76.

[5] X. Zhu, X. Yao, J. Sun, W. Li, H. Wang and Q. Li, “Research on Lightning Damage of Optical Fiber Overhead Ground Wires,” 2020 4th International Conference on HVDC (HVDC), Xi’an, China, 2020, pp. 1183-1187, doi: 10.1109/HVDC50696.2020.9292789.

[6] J. Sun, X. Yao, W. Xu, X. Tian and J. Chen, “Lightning Test Method for Optical-Fiber Overhead Ground Wires,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 2412-2419, Oct. 2018, doi: 10.1109/TPWRD.2018.2823061.

[7] T. V. Kazieva, D. V. Bolotov, O. V. Kolesnikov, O. S. Belova and A. G. Temnikov, “Laboratory Setup for Studying the Effect of Atmospheric Discharges on Communication Lines Protected by Quantum Key Distribution Technology,” 2023 Wave Electronics and its Application in Information and Telecommunication Systems (WECONF), St. Petersburg, Russia, 2023, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1109/WECONF57201.2023.10147989.