Sferics

Origin

From atmospherics.

Noun

plural

1. Electromagnetic pulses caused by atmospheric phenomena, such as lightning. Plural of sferic
• 1920: Wilbur H. Paulsen (American Meteorological Society pub.), Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society http://books.google.com/books?vid=0myaFW4os6gDX0JMkJ&id=_IEOAAAAIAAJ&q=sferics&dq=sferics&pgis=1A Sferics Locating System has been developed to determine the geographical location of lightning strokes...
• 1965 (pub.): Mitre Corporation, Research & Experimentation 1960-1964 http://books.google.com/books?vid=0womdjATmZ-KMq2Hz5&id=KqTvgTb9FlAC&q=sferics&dq=sferics&pgis=1...an artificial sferics generator was used as a known source of EM pulses.
• 1987: Barbara Tufty, 1001 Questions Answered About Hurricanes, Tornadoes and Other Natural Air Disasters http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0486254550&id=LpVoN0gmVKcC&pg=RA2-PA38&lpg=RA2-PA38&dq=sferics&sig=BapiarKgnm1NVr9NDBl1Xcgtp-AResearchers have thought that possibly these sferics could be used to track hurricanes—but so far, they have been only marginally successful.
• 1998: Donald R. MacGorman, W. David Rust, The Electrical Nature of Storms http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0195073371&id=_NbHNj7KJecC&pg=RA1-PA248&lpg=RA1-PA248&ots=YIEHDWeyz4&dq=sferics&sig=OLS0anRthBaYjJGasIzg1w-2dUoSferics are classified normally by the frequency of the receiver used to detect them.
• 1999: Rudolf F. Graf, William Sheets, The Encyclopedia of Electronic Circuits http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0070151164&id=hSkgkWoCTOcC&pg=RA1-PA1040&lpg=RA1-PA1040&dq=sferics&sig=vvKMO0TLQ5cGW8FT1orXw_T1lEEThis circuit generates a bipolar pulse waveform that closely approximates the main features of sferics.
• 2003: Rakov, Vladimir A. Rakov, Martin A. Uman, Lightning: Physics and Effects http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0521583276&id=NviMsvVOHJ4C&pg=PA446&lpg=PA446&dq=sferics&sig=X0H-Fg7yaFTa7xnvGjFpMCvXmXM#PPA446,M1The second common theoretical approach of the propagation of sferics involves viewing the Earth-ionosphere cavity as a waveguide...
2. Radio interference caused by sferics; atmospherics.
• 1959: D. L. Carpenter, Identification of Whistler Sources on Visual Records and a Method of Routine Whistler Analysis http://books.google.com/books?vid=0CvavUP1EobqnPvg2kcxKpm&id=AMkEAAAAIAAJ&q=sferics&dq=sferics&pgis=1In the identification of sources of short whistlers, the spectral characteristics of the sferics can often be used to establish many sferics as doubtful...
• 1963: Thomas Pynchon, V. http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0060930217&id=jqS2pmUIfOAC&pg=PA243&lpg=PA243&dq=sferics&sig=hTNgLxC4jVzXVTay3Pl6bE_2DgwAs it turned out, the whistler was only the first of a family of sferics whose taxonomy was to include clicks, hooks, risers, nose-whistlers and one like a warbling of birds called the dawn chorus....

Alternative forms

• spherics

Usage notes

When referring to the electromagnetic phenomenon, this term can be used either as the normal plural of sferic or in pluralia tantum construction.