Atmospheric Electrical Discharges Across the Solar System: A Unified Physical Framework with a USP Field Theory Overlay (msf:48300)

Electrical discharges such as sparks and lightning occur across a wide range of planetary atmospheres, from Martian dust storms to deep Jovian convection. This document presents a unified physical framework showing that all atmospheric discharges arise from the same core mechanism: stratified atmospheres develop vertical electric structure, atmospheric dynamics drive charge separation, and breakdown occurs when local electric fields exceed gas-dependent thresholds. Standard electrodynamic anchors are used throughout, including gas breakdown physics and Paschen-law dependence on pressure and path length (V_b ≈ B·p·d / [ln(A·p·d) − ln(1 + 1/γ_se)]), along with qualitative energy scaling (E_discharge ≈ ∫ (1/2)·ε·E² dV). These principles are applied consistently to Mars, Earth, Venus, Titan, Saturn, and Jupiter, explaining differences in discharge appearance as differences of scale and regime rather than mechanism. A USP Field Theory overlay is included as an interpretive layer that reframes electrical breakdown as a local resonance-threshold event within a stratified Δf corridor. This overlay does not replace classical electrodynamics, but harmonizes atmospheric electricity with resonance-based descriptions used elsewhere in USP Field Theory, including Spin Genesis. The result is a scalable, observation-consistent picture of atmospheric electrical activity across the Solar System and beyond.