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Three‐dimensional radar observation of a submillimeter meteoroid fragmentation
Author(s) -
Kero J.,
Szasz C.,
PellinenWannberg A.,
Wannberg G.,
Westman A.,
Meisel D. D.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2007gl032733
Subject(s) - meteoroid , radar , physics , meteor (satellite) , scattering , wavelength , geology , astronomy , optics , computer science , telecommunications
We present and discuss two examples of pulsating meteor events observed with the tristatic 930 MHz EISCAT UHF radar system. One of them provides the first strong observational evidence of a submillimeter‐sized meteoroid breaking apart into two distinct fragments. The received power fluctuates regularly in the time profiles of all three receivers, but the fluctuation frequencies are different. The pulsations are interpreted as being due to interference from two distinct scattering centers and the three detected pulsation rates are utilized to calculate the differential velocity of the fragments. The result is consistent with interference from two fragments of unequal cross‐sectional area over mass ratio, separating from each other due to different deceleration along the trajectory of their parent meteoroid. The other meteor event is an example of a meteoroid undergoing quasi‐continuous disintegration. This manifests itself as simultaneous pulsations at all three receivers. Both observations indicate a head echo target upper size limit of the order of half the 32 cm radar wavelength.