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The electrical effects of micrometeoroids entering the terrestrial atmosphere at different speeds†

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2010

D. A. MENDIS  and
D. MARAVILLA
D. A. MENDIS
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA 92037, USA ([email protected])
D. MARAVILLA
Affiliation:
Instituto de Geofísica, UNAM, Circuito Exterior, C.U., 04510, Coyoacán, D.F., México
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Abstract

Micrometeoroids entering the terrestrial atmosphere lead to two important related electrical effects. One is the electrification of the upper atmosphere along their paths and the other is the electrical charging of the micrometeoroids themselves. In this brief note we will emphasize the central role of the initial encounter speed of the incoming micrometeoroid, showing how it changes the altitude profiles of electron production and electrical charging, not just quantitatively but also qualitatively. We will discuss the underlying reasons for this, as well as their importance in meteor studies.

Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 76 , Special Issue 3-4: In Honor of Professor Padma Kant Shukla on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday , August 2010 , pp. 297 - 303
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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