On the possibility of a lower-hybrid instability driven by fast ions sputtered from a meteoroid

Recently, the sputtering of fast meteoroids by impinging atmospheric particles, and the subsequent interaction of the sputtered material with the atmosphere, has been proposed to explain the meteor luminosity observed at high altitudes. In this brief communication, we consider the possibility of a lower hybrid instability driven by the ionized component of the material sputtered from a fast large meteoroid at high altitudes.