Detectors of fast flashes (duration of 1-128 ms) in near ultraviolet (240-400 nm) and red-infrared (>610 nm) ranges on board the Universitetsky-Tatiana-2 satellite have measured transient luminous events global distribution. Events with number of pho
tons 10^20-5{cdot}10^21 radiated in the atmosphere are uniformly distributed over latitudes and longitudes. Events with number of photons more than 5{cdot}10^21 are concentrated near the equator above continents. Measured ratio of photons number radiated in red-IR range to photons number radiated in UV related to excitation of nitrogen molecular indicates a high altitude (>50 km) of the atmospheric electric discharges responsible for the observed transients. Series of every minute transients (from 3 to 16 transients in the series) were observed. The detection of transients out of thunderstorm area, in cloudless region- sometimes thousands km away of thunderstorms is remarkable. The obtained data allow us to assume that transient events are not only consequences of lightning in event-by-event way but they are the result of long distance influence of thunderstorm electric activity causing breakdowns in the upper atmosphere (at altitudes >50 km).
We show that a new type of photon detector, sensitive to the gradients of electromagnetic fields, should be a useful tool to characterize the quantum properties of spatially-dependent optical fields. As a simple detector of such a kind, we propose us
ing magnetic dipole or electric quadrupole transitions in atoms or molecules and apply it to the detection of spiral photons in Laguerre-Gauss (LG) beams. We show that LG beams are not true hollow beams, due to the presence of magnetic fields and gradients of electric fields on beam axis. This approach paves the way to an analysis at the quantum level of the spatial structure and angular momentum properties of singular light beams.
