Why is it easier to be struck by lightning when calling in thunderous weather?

In a thunderstorm, the airflow in the atmospheric environment accelerates, just like triboelectricity, which makes the clouds produce a lot of positive charges, while the ground produces a lot of negative charges. At this time, if there is a trigger mechanism to connect the positive and negative charges, it will discharge instantly, thus forming a discharge phenomenon between the sky and the ground, commonly known as lightning strike. Among them, calling is one of the trigger mechanisms. On the other hand, due to the charge carried by thunderstorm clouds, when the electric field in the air reaches a certain intensity, it begins to ionize the molecules in the air, and finally develops into the insulation layer that breaks through the air, and the positive and negative charges are neutralized by discharge. This discharge phenomenon between clouds is what people call lightning. Because mobile phone electromagnetic wave is a good conductor of lightning, electromagnetic wave will form a conductive magnetic field in humid atmosphere, which is easy to attract new lightning and lead to lightning strike.

In public places with lightning protection devices, the possibility of lightning strike caused by mobile phones is very small. In this environment, lightning will only interfere with the mobile phone signal, and in severe cases, it will only damage the mobile phone chip and will not cause fatal harm to the human body. However, when lightning strikes, it becomes very dangerous to use mobile phones in open areas such as mountains, wilderness and river beaches. At this point, the human body has become an obvious bulge on the ground, and the mobile phone undoubtedly acts as a lightning rod, which is likely to become the discharge object selected by Lei Yun.

At the same time, Professor Liu Shuhua pointed out that mobile phones can not only conduct lightning when in use. As long as the mobile phone is connected to the communication network and keeps in touch with the base station, there will be electromagnetic wave transmission or reception, that is to say, even if it is not in a call state, it may cause lightning strike.

Mei Zhongshu, an expert who has been engaged in high-voltage lightning protection experiments and scientific research for a long time, opposes this. He believes that the saying that "mobile phones attract thunder" lacks scientific basis. As long as you are in a safe place, you can use your mobile phone in thunderstorm weather. He pointed out that electromagnetic waves are traveling waves that change electric and magnetic fields, not substances in the general sense and cannot conduct electricity. If the radio electromagnetic waves of mobile phones can conduct electricity, then all kinds of radio and television broadcasting antennas and planes that rely on radio communication and navigation will inevitably be struck by lightning, and our living space full of electromagnetic waves will become a "good conductor".

Thunderstorms and thunder may interfere with mobile phone calls, and the result of interference is to hear a "click" instead of "enhancing the wireless frequency hopping of mobile phones". The frequency of mobile phone radio signals is fixed, and even under the interference of lightning, it is impossible to change.

Mei Zhongshu pointed out that there are four kinds of air ionization: collision ionization, photoionization, thermoelectric ionization and surface ionization, among which photoionization is related to electromagnetic waves. Photoionization refers to the dissociation of gas molecules under the action of electromagnetic rays (electromagnetic waves). The wavelength of electromagnetic wave that can release gas molecules depends on the free energy of gas molecules. The greater the free energy of gas molecules, the shorter the wavelength of electromagnetic waves is required. The free energy of metal cesium vapor is the smallest of all substances, and the wavelength of electromagnetic rays that can release cesium vapor should be less than 3 18.4 nm. The electromagnetic wave of this wavelength belongs to the ultraviolet spectrum. The wavelength of visible light is longer than that of ultraviolet light, so light has virtually no ionization effect. The free energy of various gas molecules in the air, such as oxygen, nitrogen, water vapor, carbon dioxide and rare hydrogen and helium, is several times greater than that of cesium, and it is even more impossible for light to set them free. The electromagnetic wave of mobile phone belongs to the category of radio electromagnetic wave. The wave length of radio electromagnetic wave is longer than that of visible light, and it is even more impossible to dissociate air molecules.

Yang, secretary-general and senior engineer of the lightning protection professional committee of China Meteorological Association, also thinks that the saying that "mobile phones attract lightning" is unfounded in terms of frequency and power. But if you are in an open place and the terrain is relatively high, you'd better turn off the power of your mobile phone.

I think whether the mobile phone sucks thunder or not, it is definitely not lightning-proof, so it is better to turn it off.