The effect of the geomagnetic field on the diffusion of meteor trails

Levitskii, S. M.; Abdrakhmanov, N.; timchenko, V. P.

doi:10.1007/bf01051780

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Specular echoes, usually observed by small‐aperture and HF‐VHF radars, originate from parts of the plasma trail where the wave vector of the backscattered wave is nearly perpendicular to the axis of a slowly diffusing, quasi‐cylindrical plasma trail [ Baggaley and Webb , 1980; Levitskii et al , 1982; Jones and Jones , 1990; Elford and Elford , 2001; Galligan et al , 2004; Hocking , 2004] (for review, see Ceplecha et al [1998]). Nonspecular meteor echoes observed by HPLA VHF or UHF radars like the one shown in Figure 1 typically originate from trails where the radar points close to perpendicular to the geomagnetic field [ Chapin and Kudeki , 1994; Oppenheim et al , 2000; Close et al , 2000; Zhou et al , 2001].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meteor trail diffusion and fields: 1. Simulations

Dimant¹,

Oppenheim²

2006

J. Geophys. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

[1] A meteoroid penetrating the Earth's atmosphere leaves behind a trail of dense plasma embedded in the lower E/upper D region ionosphere. While radar measurements of meteor trail evolution have been collected and used to infer meteor and atmospheric properties since the 1950s, no accurate quantitative model of trail fields and diffusion exists. This paper describes finite element simulations of trail plasma physics applicable to the majority of small meteors. Unlike earlier research, our simulations resolve both the trail and a vast current closure area in the background ionosphere. This paper also summarizes a newly developed analytical theory of meteor electrodynamics and shows that our simulations and theory predict nearly identical fields and diffusion rates. This study should enable meteor and atmospheric researchers to more accurately interpret radar observations of specular and nonspecular meteor echoes.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meteor trail diffusion and fields: 1. Simulations

Dimant¹,

Oppenheim²

2006

J. Geophys. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Meteor plasma trails: effects of external electric field

2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Meteoroids traversing the E-region ionosphere leave behind extended columns of elevated ionization known as the meteor plasma trails. To accurately interpret radar signals from trails and use them for diagnostics, one needs to model plasma processes associated with their structure and evolution. This paper describes a 3-D quantitative theory of the electrostatic interaction between a dense plasma trail, the ionosphere, and a DC electric field driven by an external dynamo. A simplified water-bag model of the meteor plasma shows that the highly conducting trail efficiently short-circuits the ionosphere and creates a vast region of currents that flow through and around the trail. We predict that the trail can induce electric fields reaching a few V/m, both perpendicular and parallel to the geomagnetic field. The former may drive plasma instabilities, while the latter may lead to strong heating of ionospheric electrons. We discuss physical and observational implications of these processes.

show abstract

The effect of the geomagnetic field on the diffusion of meteor trails

Cited by 2 publications

References 6 publications

Meteor trail diffusion and fields: 1. Simulations

Meteor trail diffusion and fields: 1. Simulations

Meteor plasma trails: effects of external electric field

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About