Cometary/meteor coupling: structure of young streams.

Information on atmospheric parameters, properties and processes above 70 km are mainly based upon meteor data. An important problem of such data systematization is to single out the meteor streams associated with a series of extreme phenomena. The forecasting of these phenomena requires a physical model of meteor streams at the early stage of their occurrence. A direct coupling with comets is assumed for most of the streams. This paper analyses the structure simulation of cometary nucleus desintegration. The D-criterion is used as the orbital community criterion. Giacobini-Zinner comet in its ten appearances (1900-1979) is considered. Determination of stream location and its detailed structural characteristics is essential for long space missions.     

用武汉流星雷达观测象限仪座流星雨期间的流星速度

利用武汉流星雷达,首次成功地观测了象限仪座流星雨及流星雨期间的流星速度,讨论了利用单站全天空流星雷达观测流星雨的相关问题.从观测结果可以发现此次象限仪座流星雨发生在2004年1月4日的0000-0800LT,其中流星峰值出现在0400LT,而且通过流星雷达观测到的流星雨期间的流星回波平面推测得到的流星雨辐射点也与该流星雨的理论辐射点位置对应非常好.利用流星回波振幅的Fresnel振荡方法计算了此次流星雨期间观测到的流星的速度,分析了该流星速度的分布,这次流星雨期间观测到的流星速度主要集中在10-30 km/s,可以看出这种速度分布是由流星雨进入地球大气的初始速度和流星在大气中的减速过程共同决定的.最后研究了流星速度随高度的变化,并且由此讨论了地球大气对于流星体的减速作用.      

First spatio-temporal results from the LDEF interplanetary dust experiment

The LDEF Interplanetary Dust Experiment was unique in providing a time history of impacts of micron-sized particles on six orthogonal faces of the vehicle over a span of nearly a full year. Over 15000 hits were recorded, representing a mix of zodiacal dust, meteor stream grains, orbital debris, perhaps beta-meteoroids, and possibly interstellar matter. Although the total number was higher than predicted, the relative panel activity distribution was near expectations. Detailed deconvolution of the impact record with orbital data is underway, to examine each of these populations. Very preliminary results of the fairly crude “first look” analysis suggest that debris is the major particle component at 500 km. The data show clear evidence of some known meteor streams as sharp, tightly-focused events, unlike their visible counterparts. Some apparent debris events show similar signatures. Data from the leading and trailing edges suggest a detection of beta-meteoroids, but the analysis is not yet conclusive. Absolute fluxes and flux ratios are not yet known, since the detector status analysis is yet incomplete.     

Re-entry of orbital debris observed by Chung-Li VHF radar with MEDAC

MEDAC (Meteor Echo Detection and Collection) system, a product of University of Colorado, has become part of Chung-Li VHF facilities since July 12, 1989. MEDAC is installed to observe the mesospheric winds from Doppler echos returned by meteor trails in the upper atmosphere. However, the time variations in the in-phase and quadrature components of the signals can be used to derive the time history of the meteor trail formation. The meteor flight speed in the atmosphere is hence deduced. Preliminary analysis of some data taken from July 12 to July 17 of 1989 indicates that there are some “meteor” trails that could have been produced by the reentry of orbital debris into the atmosphere. The criteria of the flight speed and the ionization height are used for selecting an orbital debris trail from pools of “meteor” trails. The relative flux intensities between the reentry orbital debris flux as tentatively identified in this paper and the meteor flux is about 1 to 100.     

长时间流星不均匀体母体特征个例研究

流星体坠入地球大气烧蚀电离产生流星等离子体尾迹,在等离子体不稳定性过程作用下产生流星不均匀体.利用光学视频和无线电雷达在低纬三亚开展流星体烧蚀和流星不均匀体综合探测结果,发展了一种获取流星不均匀体母体（流星体）特征参数的方法,并对2015年12月双子座流星雨期间观测的一次长持续时间流星不均匀体事例进行了分析,得到了其母体速度、质量和轨道等特征,结果显示产生这次流星不均匀体的流星体速度和轨道等具有双子座流星特点.该方法可应用于流星不均匀体及其母体特征研究.      

Antarctic meteor observations using the Davis MST and meteor radars

This paper presents the meteor observations obtained using two radars installed at Davis (68.6°S, 78.0°E), Antarctica. The Davis MST radar was installed primarily for observation of polar mesosphere summer echoes, with additional transmit and receive antennas installed to allow all-sky interferometric meteor radar observations. The Davis meteor radar performs dedicated all-sky interferometric meteor radar observations. The annual count rate variation for both radars peaks in mid-summer and minimizes in early Spring. The height distribution shows significant annual variation, with minimum (maximum) peak heights and maximum (minimum) height widths in early Spring (mid-summer). Although the meteor radar count rate and height distribution variations are consistent with a similar frequency meteor radar operating at Andenes (69.3°N), the peak heights show a much larger variation than at Andenes, while the count rate maximum-to-minimum ratios show a much smaller variation. Investigation of the effects of the temporal sampling parameters suggests that these differences are consistent with the different temporal sampling strategies used by the Davis and Andenes meteor radars. The new radiant mapping procedure of [Jones, J., Jones, W., Meteor radiant activity mapping using single-station radar observations, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 367(3), 1050–1056, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10025.x, 2006] is investigated. The technique is used to detect the Southern delta-Aquarid meteor shower, and a previously unknown weak shower. Meteoroid speeds obtained using the Fresnel transform are presented. The diurnal, annual, and height variation of meteoroid speeds are presented, with the results found to be consistent with those obtained using specular meteor radars. Meteoroid speed estimates for echoes identified as Southern delta-Aquarid and Sextantid meteor candidates show good agreement with the theoretical pre-atmospheric speeds of these showers (41 km s⁻¹ and 32 km s⁻¹, respectively). The meteoroid speeds estimated for these showers show decreasing speed with decreasing height, consistent with the effects of meteoroid deceleration. Finally, we illustrate how the new radiant mapping and meteoroid speed techniques can be combined for unambiguous meteor shower detection, and use these techniques to detect a previously unknown weak shower.     

流星参数的数值分析和流星高度分布模型

流星余迹能够被后向散射雷达观测到, 利用观测结果, 可以分析和研究流星的空间分布和时间变化规律. 同时, 利用流星空间分布还可以进行空间碎片的研究. 基于标准理论, 对影响雷达回波功率的主要因素, 例如如双极扩散、余迹的初始半径、流星的有限速度, 以及雷达的脉冲重复频率在不同频率和速度下进行了数值分析和计算, 得到的流星衰减时间及双极扩散系数的观测结果与理论结果一致. 通过对昆明流星雷 达观测到的571632个流星进行统计分析, 得到了流星高度分布统计模型, 并利用该模型的分析结果与不同月份流星的观测数据进行对比, 结果比较一致.      

Plasma and electromagnetic wave simulations of meteors

Every day billions of meteoroids impact and disintegrate in the Earth’s atmosphere. Current estimates for this global meteor flux vary from 2000 to 200,000 tons per year, and estimates for the average velocity range between 10 km/s and 70 km/s. The basic properties of this global meteor flux, such as the average mass, velocity, and chemical composition remain poorly constrained. We believe much of the mystery surrounding the basic parameters of the interplanetary meteor flux exists for the following reason, the unknown sampling characteristics of different radar meteor observation techniques, which are used to derive or constrain most models. We believe this arises due to poorly understood radio scattering characteristics of the meteor plasma, especially in light of recent work showing that plasma turbulence and instability greatly influences meteor trail properties at every stage of evolution. We present our results on meteor plasmas simulations of head echoes using particle in cell (PIC) ions, which show that electric fields strongly influence early stage meteor plasma evolution, by accelerating ions away from the meteoroid body. We also present the results of finite difference time domain electromagnetic simulations (FDTD), which can calculate the radar cross section of the simulated meteor plasmas. These simulations have shown that the radar cross section depends in a complex manner on a number of parameters. These include the angle between radar and meteor entry, a large dependence on radar frequency, which shows that for a given meteor plasma size and density, the reflectivity as a function of probing radar frequency varies, but typically peaks below 100 MHz.     

Asteroid and comet hazard: Identification problem of observed space objects with the parental bodies

This article focuses on the genetic identification of observed small cosmic bodies with alleged parental bodies; namely, comets, asteroids and meteoroid swarms. There is a problem of the upper D-value limit as a measure of proximity between the orbits of the bodies in the five-dimensional phase space (Southworth and Hawkins, 1963). In the study of genetic relationships of the comet and meteor complexes, the D value is usually taken as equal to 0.2 for all meteor showers. However, the upper D limit should be investigated for each meteoroid complex. For example, such investigation was performed for the Taurid meteor complex (Porub?an et al., 2006). In this paper, the upper D-criterion limit value was investigated for the Perseid meteor shower. The 1862 III Swift–Tuttle comet is its parental comet.     

全天空流星雷达相位差监测分析方法研究

介绍了一种直接利用流星观测数据, 根据流星的时空分布特性和天线的空间布阵关系建立数学模型, 对全天空流星雷达各天线通道的相位差进行监测分析和估算的新方法. 通过分析全天空流星雷达的流星观测数据, 获得了流星时空分布特性, 天线阵相位差变化对流星空间分布的影响, 特别是流星高度分布的标准差特性与各天线相位差的关系. 在此基础上, 模拟研究了利用流星高度分布的标准差来估算天线相位差的偏差, 并应用于中国三亚地区全天空流星雷达进行相位差监测分析和校正. 结果表明, 新方法无需任何附加硬件, 通过日常观测数据就能对某一通道的相位差变化或多个通道的相位差变化进行估算和分析,相位差监测精度优于2°. 对这些相位差变化进行校正, 可有效提高全天空流星雷达对流星的定位测量精度.      

廊坊中频雷达流星观测及初步结果

中频雷达用来开展夜间100km高度以上的流星观测,获得流星随时间、高度、方位的分布情况及流星体速度、流星辐射点、流星余迹径向速度等参数,其探测数据可用于流星天文学、中层大气动力学等领域的研究.利用2017年11月16日12:00UT-22:00UT期间廊坊观测站（39.4°N,116.7°E）的中频雷达数据,首次开展了中国中纬度地区夜间流星观测实验,共检测到94个流星回波信号,集中分布在97～115km高度范围内,平均高度为106.5km,计算得到了流星回波的双极扩散系数、方位分布等相关参数,并与国外中频雷达流星探测结果进行了初步比较.      

Meteor radar temperatures over Collm (51.3°N, 13°E)

The method of obtaining absolute temperature estimates by measuring the ambipolar diffusion coefficient with meteor radars in the mesopause region is basically well known. However, there is still a need to refine and adjust the background temperature gradient model which is necessary to calculate the temperature values. Therefore, a detailed comparison with independent temperature measurements is necessary to evaluate the performance of the method and to obtain more information about the temperature gradient. Recent studies provide some evidence that the impact of the gradient model on temperature estimates affects the absolute temperatures, but that it is of minor importance for wave analysis. This paper focuses on a detailed evaluation of the meteor radar temperatures by comparing them with SABER satellite and OH-emission mesopause region temperatures. The seasonal variation of the observed temperatures is well reproduced by the COMMA general circulation model.     

A global model of circulation and temperature for the upper mesosphere - lower thermosphere region

The zonal mean model of zonal and meridional wind for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere based the analysis of meteor radar wind and partial reflection drift data for the 70–110-km height interval is constructed. The height-latitudinal cross-sections of vertical wind are calculated from data on the latitudinal structure of a meridional wind field using the continuity equation. The temperature field cross-sections from the zonal wind model using the thermal wind equation are derived.     

Submicron lunar ejecta in the magnetosphere associated with meteor showers

Recent studies of the lunar ejecta from lunar impacts of interplanetary dust particles indicate that during favorable lunar phases, over 80% of the submicron ejecta enters the earth's magnetosphere. This “pulse” of lunar ejecta produced by the sporadic meteor background will follow the random variations of the sporadic flux. An additional enhancement of this flux can be related to major meteor showers. Since the annual periods of these showers occur during varying lunar phase angles, magnetosphere ejecta flux associated with major showers will vary depending on the coincidence of shower periods and favorable lunar phase angles. The results of an analysis of the “pulse” of ejecta flux in the magnetosphere during the Quadrantids, Geminids, Leonids, and Perseids meteor showers are presented. These results are compared to the satellite measurements of 1959 Eta and HEOS II.     

The Halley dust model

The properties of dust ejecta from Comet Halley are studied on the basis of (a) evidence from the comet's past apparitions and (b) analogy with recent, physically similar comets. Specifically discussed are the light curve and spectrum, discrete phenomena in the head, the physical properties of the nucleus (size, albedo, rotation, surface temperature, and morphology), and an interaction between the nucleus and dust atmosphere. Also reviewed are constraints on the size and mass distributions of dust particles, information on submicron-size and submillimeter-size grains from the comet's dust tail and antitail, and the apparent existence of more than one particle type. Similarities between the jet patterns of Halley and the parent comet of the Perseid meteor stream are depicted, and effects of the surface heterogeneity (discrete active regions) on the dust flow are assessed. Current dust models for Halley are summarized and the existence of short-term variations in the dust content in the comet's atmosphere is suggested.     

Seasonal variations in vertical distribution of meteor decay time as observed from meteor radars at 8.5°N and 80°N

The decay times of meteor radar echoes have been used for decades to investigate characteristics of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. As the meteor echo decay time depends on background atmospheric parameters, in the present communication, we examine the seasonal variation of the vertical distributions of underdense meteor echo decay times with respect to echo strength. Observations from two similar radars located at two distinct geographical locations, Thumba (8.5°N, 77°E) and Eureka (80°N, 85.8°W) were used for the present study. Here, the radar received signal power is categorized into strong and weak echoes and vertical profiles of their decay times are constructed. It has been noticed that the monthly mean decay time vertical profile turning altitude (i.e., inflection point) varies in the range of 80–87?km of altitude depending on latitude. The turning altitude is observed at relatively lower heights in the winter than in summer at both the latitudes. The present analysis shows that the meteor decay time below the mean turning altitude follows a decreasing trend with decreasing altitude, which is quite distinct to the behaviour of ambipolar diffusion. It is also observed that there is a difference in mean decay time of strong and weak echoes below 90?km of altitude, which is very prominently seen at lower altitudes. This difference shows a seasonal pattern at high latitude, but does not show any seasonal variation at low latitude. The present results are discussed in light of current understanding of the meteor decay time.     

An intercomparison of meteor radar measurements at the South Pole using two different processing systems

A new meteor radar system was installed at the Amundsen–Scott station South Pole in 2001 to further the understanding of the dynamics of the Antarctic region. The antenna array consists of four yagis pointed along the 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° meridians and five folded crossed dipoles arranged in a cross configuration and operating as an interferometer to provide position measurements for the detected radio meteors. The four yagis are time division multiplexed and used for both transmitting and receiving while the five folded crossed dipoles are only used for reception. The current arrangement of data acquisition (DAQ) systems at the South Pole allows the collection of meteors in a configuration similar to the previous meteor radar system that operated at the South Pole in the mid 1990s while also using an interferometer to accurately determine the meteor positions in the sky, which enables the determination of the vertical structure of the observed waves. This has been accomplished through the use of two DAQ and post-processing systems: COBRA (Colorado Obninsk radar) connected to the yagis and MEDAC (meteor echo detection and collection) connected to the folded crossed dipoles. With two separate DAQ systems operating in parallel we have the ability to directly compare the results and understand the inherent variability in the derived scientific results based on different system architectures and processing assumptions. The impact of operating a system without an interferometer on the amplitudes and phases of the observed wave components is considered. We find that the lack of altitude resolution of the COBRA DAQ system leads to an underestimation of the amplitude of the s = 1 component of the semidiurnal tide of ∼20% during the summer months.     

大气重力波引起的突发钠层的模拟研究

应用钠原子和中性大气分子的质量连续性方程来模拟突发纳层（SSL），垂直风场采用接近实际大气重力波的正弦行波模式，结果较好地反映了SSL的形成过程。SSL的形成时刻在5－15min之间并可持续到30min之后，形成高度大约在90－100km之间，峰宽为0.5-2km之间，这些都与实际观测SSL的特点相符，同时还进一步地研究了当重力波参数（主要指垂直波长和周期）、风速以及常态钠层半宽度发生变化时SSL的变化趋势。     

Creating an artificial Geminid meteor shower: Correlation between ejecta velocity and observability

One of the interesting arguments for a space impact mission to asteroid 3200 Phaethon is to create an artificial Geminid meteor shower. In this work we investigate the artificial shower’s dates of observability and dependence on ejecta velocity using dust trail theory. We find that when the dust ejecta velocities are 200 m/s the artificial meteor showers start to be visible in 2204 and continue for about 30 years. If the dust ejecta velocity is 20 m/s they only last 10 years from 2215 to 2225. Thus, the onset of artificial shower activity begins sooner and lasts longer with higher ejecta velocities. To produce an artificial meteor shower with 3200 Phaethon as the parent will require higher impact energy than the Deep Impact spacecraft delivered to 9P/Tempel 1.