Averaged over 10 TGEs, the number of electrons is 2398, and number of
gamma rays is 19730. The Total number of Compton scattered electrons
according to Figure 1 will be ≈1% of a total number of gamma rays,
i.e., 197. It will be 8.2% of the total number of electrons only. From
Fig. 1 we can see those energies of scattered gamma electrons are much
lower than the energies of parent gamma rays, and consequently, much
lower than the energies of TGE electrons. Thus, the contamination of the
Compton scattered electron can slightly influence only lower energies of
the recovered electron energy spectrum.
Conclusions
If the accelerating electric field is terminated high above the ground
TGE electrons are attenuated, the contribution of the Compton scattered
electrons is negligible (less than 1% relative to gamma ray flux) and
such TGEs never allow recovery of the electron energy spectrum.
The electron energy spectrum recovered only for TGEs with large electron
content (mean ≈20%, see last row of Table 2 and Figure 2).
The corresponding height of the electric field termination is less than
150 m (mean≈100 m). Only from these heights electrons from RREA above
Aragats can be reliably recovered by the energy releases histograms
measured by the ASNT spectrometer.
Continuous monitoring of gamma ray and electron energy spectra allows
remote sensing of the atmospheric electric field horizontal profile
during thunderstorms.