A technique for calculating meteor plasma density and meteoroid mass from radar head echo scattering
A technique for calculating meteor plasma density and meteoroid mass from radar head echo scattering
复制标题
雷达头回波散射计算流星等离子体密度和流星体质量的技术
DOI：
10.1016/j.icarus.2003.11.018
复制
发表时间：
2004
期刊：
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
A. Coster
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
S. Close;M. Oppenheim;S. Hunt;A. Coster
大口径雷达探测到在流星体附近形成的高密度等离子体，这些等离子体的反射被称为头回波。为了确定头部等离子体的密度和配置，我们模型的雷达波与等离子体的相互作用，而不使用等离子体密度的假设。本文提出了一种散射方法，使我们能够转换测量的雷达截面（RCS）从头部回波到等离子体密度通过应用球形散射模型。我们使用三种方法来验证我们的模型。首先，我们比较了最大等离子体密度确定的球形解决方案，同时在VHF和UHF检测到30头回波。其次，我们使用的头回波同时检测在VHF，UHF和L波段比较等离子体密度在所有频率。最后，我们应用我们的球形解决方案，723 VHF头回波和计算等离子体密度，线密度和流星体质量，以比较这些值与流星体烧蚀和电离模型。在所有三个比较中，我们的结果表明，球形解决方案在很宽的频率范围内产生一致的结果，并同意与单体烧蚀模型。
Large-aperture radars detect the high-density plasma that forms in the vicinity of a meteoroid and moves approximately at its velocity; reflections from these plasmas are called head echoes. To determine the head plasma density and configuration, we model the interaction of a radar wave with the plasma without using assumptions about plasma density. This paper presents a scattering method that enables us to convert measurements of radar cross-section (RCS) from a head echo into plasma density by applying a spherical scattering model. We use three methods to validate our model. First, we compare the maximum plasma densities determined from the spherical solution using 30 head echoes detected simultaneously at VHF and UHF. Second, we use a head echo detected simultaneously at VHF, UHF and L-band to compare plasma densities at all frequencies. Finally, we apply our spherical solution to 723 VHF head echoes and calculate plasma density, line density and meteoroid mass in order to compare these values with those obtained from a meteoroid ablation and ionization model. In all three comparisons, our results show that the spherical solution produces consistent results across a wide frequency range and agrees well with the single-body ablation model.