Lightning produces potential differences of many million volts. When an electron or proton goes across the difference of potentials of 1 million volts, it acquires energy of 1 million electron volts, which is enough to produce some high energy x-rays, and even nuclear reactions. Air pressure has an effect though, as the electron won’t gain much energy if it keeps colliding with air—unless the electric field strength (volts per meter—it is similar to slope) is pretty high. Lightnings propagate weird -with a streamer going ahead—near the streamer it is plausible that electric field is strong enough.
It’s not that different from early linear particle accelerators powered with a big Van-de-Graaf generator. A lot of energy ends up in single charged particle because that particle moved across big potential difference.
Lightning produces potential differences of many million volts. When an electron or proton goes across the difference of potentials of 1 million volts, it acquires energy of 1 million electron volts, which is enough to produce some high energy x-rays, and even nuclear reactions. Air pressure has an effect though, as the electron won’t gain much energy if it keeps colliding with air—unless the electric field strength (volts per meter—it is similar to slope) is pretty high. Lightnings propagate weird -with a streamer going ahead—near the streamer it is plausible that electric field is strong enough.
It’s not that different from early linear particle accelerators powered with a big Van-de-Graaf generator. A lot of energy ends up in single charged particle because that particle moved across big potential difference.