Long Wavelength Array (LWA) Observations of Meteor Trail Radio Emission: A Laboratory for Terrestrial Plasma Physics

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This project addresses the relatively recently observed phenomenon of radio wave emission by meteor trails. Ionized meteor trails have long been providing temperature and wind information in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere by reflecting radio signals. However, the mechanism for radio wave emission by ablating meteors is largely unknown. Knowledge of meteor emissions is highly pertinent to ongoing searches for extraterrestrial objects on similar time scales (seconds to minutes). This project will use radio and video measurements to explore the structure, time evolution, and formation mechanism of the meteor radio emissions.  The areas near the PI's telescope arrays are instrumented with video cameras. This suite of radio and video measurements will be used to triangulate the trajectories of the meteors, and take detailed images to measure the trail's expansion. The telescopes are a community resource that facilitates astronomical research, and involve undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students at a university serving a large minority population. The telescope arrays are situated within the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, and engage the public through a dedicated exhibit at the wildlife visitor center.