Premium
Potential distribution around sounding rockets in mesospheric layers with charged aerosol particles
Author(s) -
Sternovsky Z.,
Holzworth R. H.,
Horányi M.,
Robertson S.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2004gl020949
Subject(s) - sounding rocket , mesopause , rocket (weapon) , electric field , aerosol , depth sounding , atmospheric sciences , wake , supersonic speed , physics , shock wave , mesosphere , mechanics , meteorology , computational physics , environmental science , geophysics , aerospace engineering , geology , astronomy , oceanography , quantum mechanics , stratosphere , engineering
It is shown that large potential variations can exist inside the wake of sounding rockets moving with supersonic velocity through the summertime mesopause region. The potential distribution is driven by charge separation induced by the shock wave of the rocket. The low conductivity conditions due to the attachment of free electrons to aerosol particles allow large electric fields, of the order of V/m, to be maintained. The numerical results from a simple model are consistent with recent electric field measurements carried out by the DROPPS‐1 sounding rocket.