Collaborative Research: Arecibo Radar Studies of Zodiacal and Interstellar Dust in the Solar System.

AST 0205848MathewsDr.宾夕法尼亚州立大学的John马修斯将与位于杰纳西奥的纽约州立大学的大卫Meisel博士合作，根据在阿雷西博天文台进行的雷达微流星观测，对太阳系中的小粒子进行为期3年的观测和分析/建模研究。关于~0.2-100微米尺寸范围内的行星际尘埃颗粒（IDP）的分布、来源以及引力和电动力学演化的知识对于行星科学至关重要，而且--由于太阳系外和星际粒子也存在--对于当地银河系科学也至关重要。阿雷西博天文台（AO）的超高频雷达已被证明是唯一适合于地面微流星观测，产生速度，减速和辐射信息，从而轨道大量行星际和双曲尘埃粒子。观测结果现在从1997年一直延续到现在，技术不断发展，现在产生流星体多普勒速度，瞬时精度小到10米/秒（流星体速度迄今在10-90公里/秒之间）。这与基于经典的大气层内流星体动力学的分选机制相结合，清楚地区分了沿束流方向的粒子和具有显著的跨束流速度分量的流星体。 这项新的工作将这些研究扩展到太阳系中IDP分布/演化的细节，并考虑了星际粒子通量对太阳系的作用以及由这种通量照亮的局部星系过程/特征。由该奖项资助的新的观测/分析/建模研究将继续提供IDP的常规采样，包括预期的穿越地球的小行星轨道粒子，星际粒子（ISP），木星扰动和/或衍生的粒子，以及低质量的B粒子被来自内太阳系的辐射压力喷射出来。随着ISP数据库的增长，这些研究人员将继续对最大星际粒子的通量和起源进行理论/建模研究。到目前为止，他们可以解释所有AO ISP都是产生Geminga脉冲星的同一颗超新星的产物。 这项工作已经并将继续涉及来自纽约州立大学Geneseo，宾夕法尼亚州立大学和其他机构的本科生和来自宾夕法尼亚州立大学的研究生以及阿雷西博天文台和其他组织的工作人员。这些努力的结果出现在几门课程中，包括Geneseo和Penn State的电磁学，天体物理学和等离子体。

AST 0205848MathewsDr. John Mathews, at Penn State University, in collaboration with Dr. David Meisel, at State University of New York at Geneseo, will conduct a 3-year observational and analysis/modeling study of small particles in the Solar System based on radar micrometeor observations performed at the Arecibo Observatory. Knowledge of the distribution, sources, and gravitational, electrodynamical evolution of interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) in the ~0.2-100 micron size range is critical to the planetary sciences and-as extrasolar and interstellar particles are also present-to local galactic science. The Arecibo Observatory (AO) UHF radar has proven to be uniquely suited for ground-based micrometeor observations that yield velocity, deceleration, and radiant information-and thus orbits-of large numbers of interplanetary and hyperbolic dust particles. Observational results now extend from 1997 through the present with a steadily evolving technique that now yields meteoroid Doppler speeds with instantaneous accuracies of as small as 10 m/sec (with meteoroid speeds ranging over 10-90 km/sec thus far). This combined with a sorting mechanism based on classical, in-atmosphere meteoroid dynamics, clearly distinguishes down-the-beam particles from those meteoroids with a significant across-the-beam velocity component. The new effort extends these studies to details of IDP distribution/evolution in the solar system and considers the role of the interstellar particle flux to the solar system as well as local galactic processes/features illuminated by this flux.The new observational/analysis/modeling study funded with this award will continue providing routine sampling of IDPs including the expected earth-crossing asteroidal-orbit particles, interstellar particles (ISPs), Jovian perturbed and/or derived particles, and low-mass b particles ejected by radiation pressure from the inner solar system. As the database of ISPs grows, these researchers will continue theoretical/modeling studies of the flux and origins of the largest of the interstellar particles. Thus far they can account for all AO ISPs as being products of the same supernova thatproduced the Geminga pulsar. This effort has involved and will continue to involve undergraduates from SUNY-Geneseo, Penn State, and other institutions and graduate students from Penn State as well as the staff of Arecibo Observatory and other organizations. Results from these efforts appear in several courses including electromagnetics, astrophysics, and plasmas at both Geneseo and Penn State.***