Collaborative Research: A Simulation and Theoretical Analysis of Meteor Evolution over Scales Ranging from Sub-microseconds to Minutes

合作研究：亚微秒到分钟尺度的流星演化模拟与理论分析

• 批准号: 2301644
• 负责人: Meers Oppenheim
• 金额: $ 38.7万
• 依托单位: Trustees of Boston University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2026-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2301644&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Simulation; Theoretical; Analysis

Every day billions of extremely small particles, typically weighing less than a grain of sand, impact the Earth’s upper atmosphere. These particles seed the upper atmosphere with an array of metal ions and atoms which have important effects on the chemistry of the atmosphere and play a role in creating dust, which in turn seeds clouds. This award will further develop the field of meteor physics through modeling meteor evolution from their point of entry into the atmosphere through their dissipation. We will use radar observations to test our models and understandings. The research has a wide range of applications. Spacecraft designers need to know the distribution of particle orbits and masses in order to reduce potential hazards. Solar system scientists use meteoroid population characteristics to better understand the outer solar system and its evolution. Atmospheric scientists apply meteoroid data to estimate the amount of material deposited in the upper atmosphere and its chemical evolution. A deeper understanding of meteor plasma physics will improve the broader scientific and engineering community’s knowledge of meteor and upper atmosphere geoscience. This project involves members of underrepresented groups and supports graduate and undergraduate students. The code developed will be open source. The team will continue their efforts to share their knowledge and enthusiasm about space and meteor science with the larger community through outreach to the media, K-12 schools, and at universities through public talks. This will broadly enhance STEM education and talent. Over the past decades, meteor researchers have used simulations, theory, and observations to study meteor plasma dynamics and their radar measurements. This award will extend this work to areas that remain poorly understood: the early stage of meteor ablation, the behavior of meteor-induced plasma waves, the interaction between a spatially variable atmosphere and meteors, and the scattering of radio waves by meteor plasmas. The team will generate new models more accurate and reliable than those that currently exist, and then apply these physics-based models to interpret data collected by radars. This award will help answer the following questions: (1) How rapidly does ablation proceed for various meteoroids? (2) How do meteor plasmas evolve from their initial ablation and ionization through the early-stage kinetic expansion to their later-stage diffusion and turbulence? (3) Can more accurate theoretical and computational models improve researchers’ quantitative understanding of radio wave scattering? (4) How do large-scale atmospheric inhomogeneities and neutral wind shears modify the evolution of long-lived plasma trails produced by meteoroids? Answering these questions will lead to progress in understanding atmospheric dynamics between 75 and 120 km altitude. It will provide better interpretations of measurements made by radar and optics. This research will address the first scientific goal listed on the NSF/Aeronomy Program Description: “Dynamics and energetics of the upper atmosphere, with particular emphasis on the hard-to-observe region between 80 and 150 km.”This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

每天每天数十亿个极小的颗粒，通常比一粒沙子少了，会影响地球上层的大气层。这些颗粒带有一系列金属离子和原子在上层大气中播种，这些金属离子和原子对大气的化学有重要影响，并在产生灰尘中发挥作用，而尘埃反过来又有种子云。该奖项将通过对流星的进化从进入大气的耗散点进行建模，从而进一步发展流星物理的领域。我们将使用雷达观测来测试我们的模型和理解。该研究具有广泛的应用。航天器设计人员需要了解粒子轨道和质量的分布，以减少潜在的危害。太阳系科学家使用Meteoroid人群特征来更好地了解外部太阳系及其演变。大气科学家应用了Meteoroid数据，以估计沉积在上层大气中的材料量及其化学演化。对流星血浆物理学的更深入的了解将改善更广泛的科学和工程社区对流星和高层地球科学的了解。该项目涉及代表性不足的团体成员，并支持研究生和本科生。开发的代码将是开源。团队将继续努力通过向媒体，K-12学校和大学进行公开谈判，与更大的社区分享对太空和流星科学的知识和热情。这将广泛增强STEM教育和才华。在过去的几十年中，流星研究人员使用了模拟，理论和观察结果来研究流星血浆动力学及其雷达测量值。该奖项将把这项工作扩展到保持不佳的领域：流星消融的早期阶段，流星诱导的血浆波的行为，空间可变的大气和流星之间的相互作用以及流星等离子体散射无线电波。该团队将比当前存在的新模型更准确，更可靠，然后应用这些基于物理的模型来解释雷达收集的数据。该奖项将有助于回答以下问题：（1）各种流星的消融速度如何迅速进行？ （2）流星等离子体如何从初始消融和电离到早期动力学扩张到其后期扩散和湍流？ （3）更准确的理论和计算模型可以改善研究人员对无线电波散射的定量理解吗？ （4）大规模的大气不均匀性和中性风剪切如何改变寿命长血浆径的演变？回答这些问题将导致在75至120公里之间的大气动态方面取得进展。它将更好地解释雷达和光学的测量结果。这项研究将介绍NSF/航空计划中列出的第一个科学目标描述：“高层大气的动态和能量，特别着重于80至150公里的难以掩盖的区域。”该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准来评估被认为是宝贵的支持。