I nominate Michael Stock for the 2015 Langmuir Award, for his
paper entitled "Continuous broadband digital interferometry of lightning using a generalized cross-correlation algorithm", published in Journal of Geophysical Research in March 2014 (see attached). Michael completed his Ph.D. degree in Atmospheric Physics in December 2014 and now has a post-doctoral position at Osaka University in Japan. He wrote the paper as a major part of his dissertation. Although I and several others are co-authors, he was by far the main person involved in designing, constructing and operating the lightning interferometer, as well as processing and analyzing its observations. In the process, he collaborated not only with other members of the Langmuir research group but also particularly well with several radio astronomers associated with NRAO. Both the paper and the interferometer instrument provide a quantum leap forward in our ability to study lightning processes inside storms. Almost entirely on his own, Michael incorporated and developed new and innovative techniques for processing and analyzing the high-speed interferometer data. The results show in unprecedented detail how lightning develops inside storms, and are receiving rave reviews at AGU and AMS meetings, as well as in a large DARPA-sponsored study of basic lightning physics questions that the Langmuir group has played a major role in over the past four years. Among other things, the observations are providing key evidence to decades-old fundamental questions, such as how lightning is initiated in storms.
An important part of the paper was Supporting Information showing an animation of the complete sequence of VHF radiation activity of a bi-level intracloud lightning discharge, discussed in detail in Section 4 of the paper. mp4 and avi versions of the animation can be accessed at
dropbox1 and
dropbox2 I also submit the mp4 version by separate email.