This project will combine theory, numerical modeling, and observations of sporadic meteors and meteoroid plasmas in order to address fundamental questions regarding their origin and influence on the upper atmosphere. This work breaks the problem of meteor characterization into three components, focusing on their ablation in the ionosphere, the transport of the plasma surrounding the meteor head, and properties of its electromagnetic radiation scattering (known as "echoes"). The experimental program utilizes archival meteor head echo measurements from four radars at diverse geographical locations as well as new data acquired from these facilities following implementation of novel experimental configurations. The theory and modeling component includes improvements to an existing ablation model, modeling of plasma plume expansion using a particle-in-cell approach, and development of a fully electromagnetic scattering model to identify peak plasma densities associated with ionospheric irregularities. In addition to graduate student involvement in all aspects of the research, the work will also incorporate undergraduate curriculum development efforts. This project will build on extensive experience in public outreach regarding space physics research.
