Abstract.
The fate of entering meteoroids in atmosphere is determined by their size, velocity and substance properties. Material from ablation of small-sized meteors (roughly R≤0.01–1 cm) is mostly deposited between 120 and 80 km altitudes. Larger bodies (up to meter sizes) penetrate deeper into the atmosphere (down to 20 km altitude). Meteoroids of cometary origin typically have higher termination altitude due to substance properties and higher entry velocity. Fast meteoroids (V>30–40 km/s) may lose a part of their material at higher altitudes due to sputtering. Local flow regime realized around the falling body determines the heat transfer and mass loss processes. Classic approach to meteor interaction with atmosphere allows describing two limiting cases: – large meteoroid at relatively low altitude, where shock wave is formed (hydrodynamical models); – small meteoroid/or high altitudes – free molecule regime of interaction, which assumes no collisions between evaporated meteoroid particles. These evaporated particles form initial train, which then spreads into an ambient air due to diffusion. Ablation models should make it possible to describe physical conditions that occur around meteor body. Several self-consistent hydrodynamical models are developed, but similar models for transition and free molecule regimes are still under study. This paper reviews existing ablation models and discusses model boundaries.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Adolfsson L.G. and Gustafson B.A.S. (1994). PlanetSpace Sci 42:593–598
Ahrens T.J., Takata T., O’Keefe J.D., (1994). Geophys ResLett 21:1087–1090
Allen, H. J., Seiff, A., and Winovich, W.: 1963, NASA Technical Report (NASA TR R-185)
Artemieva N.A. and Shuvalov V.V., (2001). J Geophys Res 106:3297–3309
Baker, R. L., Nelson, D. A., and Yee, P. P.: 2001, AGU Fall Meeting 2001, abstract #P22C-02
Baldwin B. and Sheaffer Y., (1971). J Geophys Res 76:4653–4668
Beech M. and Brown P., (2000). Planet Space Sci 48:925–932
Beech M., Illingworth A., Murray I., (2003). Meteoritics and Planetary Sci 38:1045–1051
Bellot Rubio L.R., Martnínez González M.J., Herrera L.R., Licandro J., Delgado D.M., Gil P.R., Serra-Ricart M., (2002). Astron Astrophys 389:680–691
Biberman L.M., Bronin S.Ya., Brykin M.V., (1980). Acta Astronautica 7:53–65
Borovička J., (1994). Planet Space Sci 42:145–150
Borovička J. and Spurny P., (1996). Icarus 121:484–510
Borovička J., Popova O.P., Nemtchinov I.V., Spurný P., Ceplecha Z., (1998a). Astron Astrophys 334:713–728
Borovička J., Popova O.P., Golub A.P., Kosarev I.B., Nemtchinov I.V., (1998b). Astron Astrophys 337:591–602
Borovička J., Stork R. and Bocek J., (1999). Meteoritics & Planetary Science 34:987–994
Boslough M.B., Crawford D.A., Robinson A.C., Trucano T.G., (1994). GeophResSett 21:1555–1558
Bronshten V.A., (1983). Physics of Meteoric Phenomena. D Reidel Publ Co, Dordrecht, 356 pp
Boyd I., (2000). Earth, Moon, Planets 8283:93–108
Brown P., Spalding R.E., ReVelle D.O., Tagliaferri E., Worden S.P., (2002). Nature 420:294–296
Brosch, N, Schijvarg, L. S., Podolak, M., and Rosenkrantz, M. R.: 2001, in B.Warmbein (ed.), Proceedings of the Meteoroids 2001 Conf., Kiruna, Sweden, pp. 165–173
Campbell-Brown M.D., Koschny D., (2004). Astron Astrophys 418:751–758
Ceplecha Z., Spurný P., Borovička J., Keclíková J., (1993). Astron Astrophys 279:615–626
Ceplecha Z., Borovička J., Elford W.G., ReVelle D.O., Hawkes R.L., Porubčan V., Šimek M., (1998). Space Sci Rev 84:327–471
Ceplecha Z., Borovička J. and Spurny P., (2000). Astron Astrophys 357:1115–1122
Cervera M.A., Elford W.G., (2004). Planetary and Space Science 52:591–602
Close S., Oppenheim M., Hunt S., Coster A., (2004). Icarus 168:43–52
Coulson S.G., Wickramasinghe N.C., (2003). Mon Not R Astr Soc 343:1123–1130
Dressler, R. and Murad, E.: 2001, in R. Dressler (ed.), Chemical Dynamics in Extreme Environments, World Science, Singapore, pp. 268–345
Flynn G.J., (1989). Icarus 77:287–310
Fujiwara Y., Ueda M., Shiba Y., Sugimoto M., Kinoshita M., Shimoda C., (1998). Geophys Res Letters 25:285–288
Golub’ A.P., Kosarev I.B., Nemtchinov I.V., Shuvalov V.V., (1996). Solar System Res 30:183–197
Golub’ A.P., Kosarev I.B., Nemtchinov I.V., Popova O.P., (1997). Solar System Res 31:85–98
Hawkes R.L., and Jones J., (1975). Mon Not R Astr Soc 173:339–356
Hill, K. A., Rogers, L. A., and Hawkes, R. L.: 2005, Earth, Moon, Planets, this volume
Hunt S.M., Oppenheim M., Close S., Brown P.G., McKeen F., Minardi M., (2004). Icarus 168:34–42
Hunten D.M., (1997). Icarus 129:127–133
Jacchia, L. G., Verniani, F., and Briggs, R. E.: 1965, Smithsonian Astrophys. Obs. Spec. Rep. 175
Jacchia L.G., Verniani F., Briggs R.E., (1967). Smithson Contr Astrophys 10:1
Jenniskens, P.: 2001, in B. Warmbein (ed.), Proceedings of the Meteoroids 2001 Conf., Kiruna, Sweden, pp. 247–254
Jones J. and Kaiser T.R., (1966). Mon NotRastrSoc 133:411–420
Jones, J., Jones, W., and Halliday, I.: 1999, in V. Porubčan (ed.), Meteoroids 1998, Slovak Acad. Sci., Bratislava, pp. 29–36
Jones W., (1995). Mon Not R Astron Soc 275:812–818
Jones W., (1997). Mon Not R Astron Soc 288:995–1003
Jones W., and Halliday I., (2001). Mon Not R Astron Soc 320:417–423
Koten, P., Spurny P., Borovička J., Betlem H., Evans S., and Elliott A.: 2003, Present. Leonid MAC Workshop, August 2003, NASA-Ames
Lebedinets, V. N.: 1980, Dust in the upper atmosphere and space. The meteors. Hydrometeoizdat. Leningrad. 248 p. (in Russian)
Lebedinets V. N. and Shushkova V. B.: 1968, In L. Kresak and P. Millman (eds.), Physics and Dynamics of Meteors, 193–204
Lebedinets V.N., Manochina A.V., Shushkova V.B., (1973). Planet Space Sci 21:1317–1332
Levin B. Iu. 1956, Physical theory of meteors and meteor substance in the solar system. Moscow, Izdatelstvo Akademii Nauk USSR, 294 p. (in Russian)
Levin B. Iu. 1961, Physikalische Theorie der Meteore und die meteoritische Substanz im Sonnensystem. Berlin, Akademie-Verlag, (in German)
Love S.G. and Brownlee D.E., (1991). Icarus 89:26–43
McNeil W.J., Shu T.L., Murad E., (1998). JGeophysRes 103:10899–10911
McNeil W.J., Dressler R.A., Murad E., (2001). JGeophysRes 106:10447–10465
Moses J.I., (1992). Icarus 99:368–383
Moses J.I., Lellouch E., Bézard B., Gladstone G.R., Feuchtgruber H., Allen M., (2000). Icarus 145:166–202
Murray I.S., Hawkes R.L., Jenniskens P., (1999). Meteorit Planet Sci 34:949–958
Murray I.S., Beech M., Taylor M.J., Jenniskens P., Hawkes R.L., (2000). Earth, Moon, and Planets 82/83:351–367
Nemtchinov, I. V.: 1967, Prikl. Matem. I Mech. 31, 300–319 (in Russian)
Nemtchinov I.V., Svetsov V.V., Kosarev I.B., Golub’ A.P., Popova O.P., Shuvalov V.V., Spalding R.E., Jacobs C., Tagliaferri E., (1997a). Icarus 130:259–274
Nemtchinov I.V., Shuvalov V.V., Kosarev I.B., Artem’eva N.A., Trubetskaya I.A., Svetsov V.V., Ivanov B.A., Loseva T.V., Neukum G., Hahn G., de Niem D., (1997b). Planetary and Space Science 45:311–326
Opik E.J., (1958). Physics of Meteor Flight in the Atmosphere. Interscience, New York
Pecina P., Ceplecha Z., (1983). BAICz 34:102–121
Pesnell W.D., Grebowsky J.M., (2000). JGeophysRes 105:1695–1707
Pesnell W.D., Grebowsky J.M. and Weisman A.L., (2004). Icarus 168:482–491
Popova O.P., Sidneva S.N., Shuvalov V.V., Strelkov A.S., (2000). Earth, Moon, Planets 8283:109–128
Popova, O. P., Sidneva, S. N., Strelkov, A. S., and Shuvalov, V. V.: 2001, in B. Warmbein (ed.), Proceedings of the Meteoroids 2001 Conf., Kiruna, Sweden, pp. 237–246
Popova, O. P., Strelkov, A. S., and Sidneva, S. N.: 2005, AdSpR, submitted
Rietmeijer F.J., (2000). Meteorit Planet Sci 35:1025–1041
ReVelle D.O., (1979). Jornal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics 41:453–473
ReVelle D.O., (1980). J Geophys Res 85:1803–1808
Revelle, D. O.: 2002, in B. Warmbein (ed.), Proceedings of ACM 2002, Berlin, Germany, pp. 127–136
Revelle, D. O. and Ceplecha, Z.: 2002, in B. Warmbein (ed.), Proceedings of – ACM 2002, Berlin, Germany, pp. 285–288
Shuvalov V.V., Artemieva N.A., (2002). Planetary and Space Science 50:181–192
Simonenko, A. N.: 1968, in L. Kresak and P. Millman (eds.), Physics and Dynamics of Meteors, pp. 207–216
Spurný P., Betlem H., van’t Leven J., Jenniskens J., (2000a). Meteoritics&Planetary Science 35:243–249
Spurný P., Betlem H., Jobse K., Koten P., van’t Leven J., (2000b). Meteoritics&Planetary Science 35:1109–1115
Stulov V. P.: 1997, Applied Mechanics Reviews, 50, 671–688
Svetsov V.V., Nemtchinov I.V., Teterev A.V.: (1995). Icarus 116:131–153
Vinkovic, D.: 2005, AdSpR, submitted
Von Zahn, U.: 2001, in B. Warmbein (ed.), Proceedings of the Meteoroids 2001 Conf., Kiruna, Sweden, pp. 303–314
Acknowledgements
Author is grateful to the Local Organizing Committee for the support, which allowed author to participate in the Meteoroids 2004 conference. Author greatfully acknowledges the thoughtful comments and suggestions provided by Dr. Frans Rietmeijer and unknown referee.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Popova, O. Meteoroid ablation models. Earth Moon Planet 95, 303–319 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11038-005-9026-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11038-005-9026-x