A new international project under the Horizon Europe program and the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie action for the establishment of international doctoral networks has been awarded to Dr. Saša Dujko and the Institute of Physics Belgrade. The project Gamma Radiation from the Atmosphere for Investigation and Learning (GRAIL) brings together 15 research institutions from across Europe and one from the United States. It is coordinated by the Atmospheric Electricity and Discharges Group at the Technical University of Dortmund in Germany, while the Institute of Physics Belgrade is one of the associated partners.
The GRAIL project aims to advance the understanding of a new class of high‑energy phenomena in thunderclouds. In addition to the well‑known Terrestrial Gamma‑ray Flashes (TGFs), the most energetic natural phenomenon on Earth, the project will, for the first time, systematically investigate the mechanisms responsible for Flickering Gamma‑ray Flashes (FGFs), a newly discovered form of high‑energy radiation associated with thunderclouds. FGFs are extremely rapid, repetitive bursts of gamma radiation that originate within storm clouds, most often immediately before a TGF and the sudden collapse of the electric field inside the cloud.
Beyond FGFs, the project also encompasses the study of тхе Thunderstorm Ground Enhancements (TGEs) — temporary increases in ionising radiation detected at ground level during thunderstorms, manifested as sudden rises in the flux of gamma rays, electrons, and muons. TGEs represent an enhancement of ionising radiation at the surface caused by strong electric fields in thunderclouds. In addition, the project will study Gamma‑ray Glows (GRGs), the long‑lasting emissions of gamma radiation within storm clouds, lasting from several tens of seconds to several minutes. GRGs are the most persistent high‑energy phenomenon associated with electrical activity in thunderclouds.
As part of the project, Dr. Saša Dujko and the Non-equilibrium Processes Center at the Institute of Physics Belgrade, of which he is a member, will work on modeling transient plasmas and high‑energy phenomena in planetary atmospheres, with a focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying runaway electrons, electron and positron beams, and gamma‑ray emission. These processes occur in thunderclouds in Earth’s atmosphere, as well as in analogous charged cloud systems on other planets, including exoplanets.
The Centre will be actively involved in training doctoral candidates, preparing scientific publications, organizing summer and winter schools, and all other activities typical of European projects of this kind.
