Telemetry interference incorrectly interpreted as evidence for lightning and present-day volcanism at Venus

Abstract

Spike-like responses to interruptions in the data recorded by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter electric field detector, identified as broadband whistler noise by Singh and Russell (1986), are analyzed. It is shown that these spikes are nonphysical artifacts of the processing of interruptions in telemetry data, and that they are readily distinguishable from other nonartificial noise apppearing in the measurements. It is suggested that key portions of the results of Singh and Russell are compromised by the inclusion of the artificial data. It is concluded that the present electric field data set provides no evidence for inferring the presence of either lighning or present-day volcanism at Venus.