Formation of plasma around a small meteoroid: 2. Implications for radar head echo
Files
First author draft
First author draft version 2
Date
2017-04-01
Authors
Oppenheim, M.M.
Version
OA Version
Citation
YS Dimant, MM Oppenheim. 2017. "Formation of plasma around a small meteoroid: 2. Implications for radar head echo." Journal Of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Volume 122, Issue 4, pp. 4697 - 4711 (15).
Abstract
This paper calculates the spatial distribution of the plasma responsible for radar head echoes by applying the kinetic theory developed in the companion paper. This results in a set of analytic expressions for the plasma density as a function of distance from the meteoroid. It shows that at distances less than a collisional mean free path from the meteoroid surface, the plasma density drops in proportion to 1/R where R is the distance from the meteoroid center; and, at distances much longer than the mean‐free‐path behind the meteoroid, the density diminishes at a rate proportional to 1/R2. The results of this paper should be used for modeling and analysis of radar head echoes.