A dynamical model of the sporadic meteoroid complex

Sporadic meteoroids are the most abundant yet least understood component of the Earth's meteoroid complex. This paper aims to build a physics-based model of this complex calibrated with five years of radar observations. The model of the sporadic meteoroid complex presented here includes the effects of the Sun and all eight planets, radiation forces and collisions. The model uses the observed meteor patrol radar strengths of the sporadic meteors to solve for the dust production rates of the populations of comets modeled, as well as the mass index. The model can explain some of the differences between the meteor velocity distributions seen by transverse versus radial scatter radars. The different ionization limits of the two techniques result in their looking at different populations with different velocity distributions. Radial scatter radars see primarily meteors from 55P/Tempel-Tuttle (or an orbitally similar lost comet), while transverse scatter radars are dominated by larger meteoroids from the Jupiter-family comets. In fact, our results suggest that the sporadic complex is better understood as originating from a small number of comets which transfer material to near-Earth space quite efficiently, rather than as a product of the cometary population as a whole. The model also sheds light on variations in the mass index reported by different radars, revealing it to be a result of their sampling different portions of the meteoroid population. In addition, we find that a mass index of s=2.34 as observed at Earth requires a shallower index (s=2.2) at the time of meteoroid production because of size-dependent processes in the evolution of meteoroids. The model also reveals the origin of the 55° radius ring seen centered on the Earth's apex (a result of high-inclination meteoroids undergoing Kozai oscillation) and the central condensations seen in the apex sources, as well as providing insight into the strength asymmetry of the helion and anti-helion sources.     

A survey of debris trails from short-period comets

We observed 34 comets using the 24 μm camera on the Spitzer Space Telescope. Each image contains the nucleus and covers at least ¹⁰⁶ km of each comet's orbit. Debris trails due to mm-sized or larger particles were found along the orbits of 27 comets; 4 comets had small-particle dust tails and a viewing geometry that made debris trails impossible to distinguish; and only 3 had no debris trail despite favorable observing conditions. There are now 30 Jupiter-family comets with known debris trails, of which 22 are reported in this paper for the first time. The detection rate is >80%, indicating that debris trails are a generic feature of short-period comets. By comparison to orbital calculations for particles of a range of sizes ejected over 2 yr prior to observation, we find that particles comprising 4 debris trails are typically mm-sized while the remainder of the debris trails require particles larger than this. The lower-limit masses of the debris trails are typically ¹⁰¹¹ g, and the median mass loss rate is 2 kg/s. The mass-loss rate in trail particles is comparable to that inferred from OH production rates and larger than that inferred from visible-light scattering in comae.     

The Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar: system overview and preliminary results

This paper describes the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR) that has been in operation since late 2001. CMOR is a 3 station meteor radar operating at a frequency of 29.85 MHz near Tavistock, Ont. To avoid bias against fragmenting meteoroids that is inherent in the traditional multi-station method of Gill and Davies (Mon. Not. R Astron. Soc. 116 (1955) 105), we use a completely geometrical method similar to that used in the AMOR system (Quart. J. R. Astron. Soc. 35 (1994) 293) based on the interferometric determination of the echo directions and the time delays of echoes from two remote stations to obtain the trajectories and speeds of meteoroids. We describe the hardware and some of the software and present some preliminary results that provide a good indication of present capabilities of the system. Typically, we can measure 1500 individual trajectories, and hence orbits, per day with a mean accuracy of 6° in direction and about 10% in speed. A small subset of these for which it is possible to measure the speeds using Hocking's (Radio. Sci. 35 (2000) 1205) method yield speeds with a precision of about 5%. The purpose of this paper is to show that the radiants and speeds necessary for the computation of orbits are well measured rather than to discuss any orbital surveys.     

A meteoroid stream survey using the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar: II: Identification of minor showers using a 3D wavelet transform

A 7 year survey using the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR), a specular backscattering orbital radar, has produced three million individually measured meteoroid orbits for particles with mean mass near 10⁻⁷ kg. We apply a 3D wavelet transform to our measured velocity vectors, partitioning them into 1° solar longitude bins while stacking all 7 years of data into a single “virtual” year to search for showers which show annual activity and last for at least 3 days. Our automated stream search algorithm has identified 117 meteor showers. We have recovered 42 of the 45 previously described streams from our first reconnaissance survey (Brown, P., Weryk, R.J., Wong, D.K., Jones, J. [2008]. Icarus 195, 317-339). Removing possible duplicate showers from the automated results leaves 109 total streams. These include 42 identified in survey I and at least 62 newly identified streams. Our large data sample and the enhanced sensitivity of the 3D wavelet search compared to our earlier survey have allowed us to extend the period of activity for several major showers. This includes detection of the Geminid shower from early November to late December and the Quadrantids from early November to mid-January. Among our newly identified streams are the Theta Serpentids which appears to be derived from 2008 KP and the Canum Venaticids which have a similar orbit to C/1975 X1 (Sato). We also find evidence that nearly 60% of all our streams are part of seven major stream complexes, linked via secular invariants.     

A meteoroid stream survey using the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar: I. Methodology and radiant catalogue

Using a meteor orbit radar, a total of more than 2.5 million meteoroids with masses ∼10⁻⁷ kg have had orbits measured in the interval 2002-2006. From these data, a total of 45 meteoroid streams have been identified using a wavelet transform approach to isolate enhancements in radiant density in geocentric coordinates. Of the recorded streams, 12 are previously unreported or unrecognized. The survey finds >90% of all meteoroids at this size range are part of the sporadic meteoroid background. A large fraction of the radar detected streams have q<0.15 AU suggestive of a strong contribution from sungrazing comets to the meteoroid stream population currently intersecting the Earth. We find a remarkably long period of activity for the Taurid shower (almost half the year as a clearly definable radiant) and several streams notable for a high proportion of small meteoroids only, among these a strong new shower in January at the time of the Quadrantids (January Leonids). A new shower (Epsilon Perseids) has also been identified with orbital elements almost identical to Comet 96P/Machholz.     

Meteor outbursts from long-period comet dust trails

Long-period comets have narrow one-revolution old dust trails that can cause meteor outbursts when encountered by Earth. To facilitate observing campaigns that will characterize and perhaps help find Earth-threatening, long-period comets from their trace of meteoric debris, we use past accounts of outbursts from 14 different showers to calculate the future dust trail positions near Earth’s orbit. We also examine known near-Earth, long-period comets and identify five potential new showers, which can be utilized to learn more about these objects. We demonstrate that it is the one-revolution trail that is responsible for meteor outbursts. A method that calculates in what year these showers are likely to return and at what hour is presented. The calculations improve on earlier approximate methods that used the Sun’s reflex motion to gauge the trail motion relative to Earth’s orbit.     

Meteoroid streams that trace to candidate dormant comets

In an effort to identify space mission targets of interest, the association of known meteoroid streams with Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) was investigated. In addition to updating previous searches to include NEOs discovered up to January 1, 2007, a new dissimilarity criterion based on dynamical arguments was applied to evaluate the likelihood of each candidate association. The new criterion is based on the fact that the few established cases, such as 2003 EH1 and the Quadrantid stream, involve parent bodies that fragmented in the most recent nutation cycle of their secular orbital evolution. In established cases, the statistics speak strongly of an association due to the lack of NEOs in the a, e, i phase space occupied by these showers. The newly proposed associations are much more uncertain, because the odds of chance associations greatly increase as orbital inclination of the showers decreases. Forty-two plausible candidate dormant comets were identified, that deserve further scrutiny. Both comet and stream typically lack sufficient data to prove the association. Most candidate parent bodies pertain to NEOs with an aphelion distance just short of Jupiter's orbit, a perihelion distance near Earth orbit, and an eccentricity in the range 0.5-0.8. Surprisingly many have , which means that most candidate parent bodies are dormant Jupiter family comets that have not yet fully decoupled from Jupiter. Establishing these associations can provide further evidence that (mostly) dormant comets break frequently, making this the dominant mechanism for replenishing the zodiacal cloud.     

The Meteors, Meteoroids and Interplanetary Dust Program of the International Heliophysical Year 2007/9

Under the title ‘Meteors, Meteoroids and Interplanetary Dust’, meteor research is included in the program of the International Heliophysical Year 2007/9.We list issues for coordinated meteor research within the framework of this global international program.     

The E-ring in the vicinity of Enceladus: II. Probing the moon's interior—The composition of E-ring particles

The population of Saturn's outermost tenuous E-ring is dominated by tiny water ice particles. Active volcanism on the moon Enceladus, embedded in the E-ring, has since late 2005 been known to be a major source of particles replenishing the ring. Therefore particles in the vicinity of Enceladus may provide crucial information about the dynamical and chemical processes occurring below the moon's icy surface. Here we present a statistical evaluation of more than 2000 impact ionisation mass spectra of Saturn's E-ring particles, with sizes predominantly below 1 μm, detected by the Cosmic Dust Analyser onboard the Cassini spacecraft. We focus on the identification of non-water features in spectra otherwise dominated by water ice signatures. Here we specify the categorisation of two different spectrum types, which probably represent two particle populations. Type I spectra imply pure water ice particles, whereas in Type II spectra organic compounds and/or silicate minerals are identified as impurities within the icy particles. This finding supports the hypothesis of a dynamic interaction of Enceladus' rocky core with liquid water.     

Dust ring formation due to sublimation of dust grains drifting radially inward by the Poynting-Robertson drag: An analytical model

Dust particles exposed to the stellar radiation and wind drift radially inward by the Poynting-Robertson (P-R) drag and pile up at the zone where they begin to sublime substantially. The reason they pile up or form a ring is that their inward drifts due to the P-R drag are suppressed by stellar radiation pressure when the ratio of radiation pressure to stellar gravity on them increases during their sublimation phases. We present analytic solutions to the orbital and mass evolution of such subliming dust particles, and find their drift velocities at the pileup zone are almost independent of their initial semimajor axes and masses. We derive analytically an enhancement factor of the number density of the particles at the outer edge of the sublimation zone from the solutions. We show that the formula of the enhancement factor reproduces well numerical simulations in the previous studies. The enhancement factor for spherical dust particles of silicate and carbon extends from 3 to more than 20 at stellar luminosities L_?=0.8-500L_⊙, where L_⊙ is solar luminosity. Although the enhancement factor for fluffy dust particles is smaller than that for spherical particles, sublimating particles inevitably form a dust ring as long as their masses decrease faster than their surface areas during sublimation. The formulation is applicable to dust ring formation for arbitrary shape and material of dust in dust-debris disks as well as in the Solar System.     

Pre-accretionary and parent body histories of a cometary aggregate particle

Chondrite aggregate interplanetary dust particle IDP L2011K7, collected in the Earth’s lower stratosphere, is an agglomerate of diopside, Mg,Fe-olivine, rare Fe-sulfide and abundant amorphous Mg,Fe-silicates. The overwhelming majority of amorphous silicates have a serpentine-dehydroxylate [(Mg,Fe)₃Si₂O₇] composition; a few have a smectite-dehydroxylate [(Mg,Fe)₆Si₈O₂₂] composition. The cation ratios of the amorphous silicates are notably identical to those of serpentine and smectite phyllosilicates. This paper follows the chronological changes in the amorphous silicates that include (1) formation of nanometer scale crystalline silicates (Mg,Fe-olivine and pyroxene), (2) partial hydration and formation of antigorite-serpentine proto-phyllosilicates, (3) partial dehydration of these proto-phyllosilicates, and finally oxidation and Fe-oxide formation by flash heating during atmospheric entry. Environmental conditions capable of driving these changes in the diffuse interstellar medium or solar nebula, in a comet nucleus, or in circumsolar orbit as a cometary meteoroid were marginal at best. These changes could only proceed because of the unique amorphous silicate compositions. While this study cannot make a firm statement about an interstellar or solar nebula origin for its amorphous silicates that are irradiation-induced olivine, this study does find that amorphous silicates with serpentine and (rare) smectite compositions are an important fraction of the amorphous silicates in comets in addition to amorphous olivine and pyroxene. It is noted that an ice and water-free, millimeter-scale, structurally coherent crumb would be an ample ‘microenvironment’ to evolve micrometer-scale dust. After all IDP L2011K7 only measures 22 × 17 μm.     

Measurements of the Gegenschein brightness from the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI)

The Gegenschein is viewed by the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI), which has provided near-full-sky broadband visible-light photometric maps for over 5 years. These have an angular resolution of about 0.5° and differential photometric stability of about 1% throughout this time. When individual bright stars are removed from the maps and an empirical sidereal background subtracted, the residue is dominated by the zodiacal light. The unprecedented sky coverage and duration of these measurements enables a definitive characterization of the Gegenschein. This article describes the analysis method for these data, presents a movie with time of the Gegenschein brightness distribution, determines empirical formulae describing its average shape, and discusses its variation with time. These measurements unambiguously confirm previous reports that the Gegenschein surface-brightness distribution has a decided peak in the antisolar point, which rises above a broader background.     

Velocity distribution of meteoroids in the vicinity of planets and satellites

Collisions in the Solar System play an important role in its history. Impact processes depend essentially on the velocity distribution of meteoroids colliding with a chosen planet. According to Carleman's theorem it is sufficient to find the set of M _k = mathematical expectation of v ^k , v being the collisional velocity. We suppose that M _k for meteoroids of asteroidal nature differs slightly from that for asteroids themselves. So among all numbered minor planets we select those which may potentially collide with the chosen major planet. Then we calculate v at intersection points and count the average over all such points and all selected asteroids. The gravitation of a body-target may be taken into account or not. Numerical results are collected in four Tables.St.Petersburg University     

The Sun – Earth Workshop: A Summary of the Outcome

This special issue includes a set of papers that deal with extended solar activity, the launching of CMEs at the Sun, their propagation through interplanetary space, and the detection and study of the ejecta near Earth and of their interaction with the Earth’s magnetic environment. In particular solar events that occurred on 28 October 2003, 6 and 7 November 2004, and 20 January 2005, for which the related shocks arrived at Earth about two days later, are considered. The summary paper extracts the principal outcomes that were arrived at in the areas treated during the workshop and seeks to draw conclusions both on the progress made and on possible directions for future work in these areas.     

Extraterrestrial chromite distribution across the mid-Ordovician Puxi River section, central China: Evidence for a global major spike in flux of L-chondritic matter

Previous studies of mid-Ordovician limestone in Sweden have shown that over a stratigraphic interval representing a few million years there is a two orders-of-magnitude enrichment in fossil L-chondritic meteorites (Ø = 1-21 cm) and sediment-dispersed extraterrestrial chromite (EC) grains (>63 μm). This has been interpreted as a dramatic increase in the flux of L-chondritic matter to Earth following the breakup of the L-chondrite parent body, which based on Ar-Ar gas retention ages (470 ± 6 Ma) of recently fallen meteorites occurred at about this time. Here we show that the general trend in the distribution of sediment-dispersed EC grains can be reproduced in the Puxi River section in central China. A total of 288 kg of limestone was searched for chrome spinels. In samples spanning the lower 8 m of the section, representing the Paroistodus originalis and Lenodus antivariabilis conodont zones, a total of 110 kg of limestone yielded only one EC grain. Similarly to the Swedish sections, EC grains begin to be common in the overlying L. variabilis Zone and remain common throughout the upper 9 m of the section, representing the L. variabilis, Yangtzeplacognathus crassus and L. pseudoplanus zones. In this part of the section 178 kg of limestone yielded 290 EC grains, with an average chemical composition very similar to chromite from recent L chondrites. In most of the beds over this interval one finds 1-4 EC grains per kilogram rock, a clear two orders-of-magnitude enrichment relative to the lower part of the section. Small bed-by-bed variations in the EC content over the upper interval most likely reflect small variations in sedimentation rates. The Puxi River section contains only very rare terrestrial chrome spinel grains, which can be distinguished already by their rounded, abraded appearance compared to the angular, pristine extraterrestrial spinels. In the mid-Ordovician, based on paleoplate reconstructions, the Puxi River site was positioned at mid-latitudes on the southern hemisphere a couple of thousand kilometers east of the Swedish sites. The prominent enrichment of EC grains over the same stratigraphic interval in China and Sweden is supporting evidence for a dramatic increase in the flux of L-chondritic matter to Earth shortly after the disruption of the L-chondrite parent body in the asteroid belt.     

A survey of meteor spectra and orbits: evidence for three populations of Na-free meteoroids

We present a survey of 97 spectra of mainly sporadic meteors in the magnitude range +3 to −1, corresponding to meteoroid sizes 1-10 mm. For the majority of the meteors, heliocentric orbits are known as well. We classified the spectra according to relative intensities of the lines of Mg, Na, and Fe. Theoretical intensities of these lines for a chondritic composition of the meteoroid and a wide range of excitation and ionization conditions were computed. We found that only a minority of the meteoroids show chondritic composition. Three distinct populations of Na-free meteoroids, each comprising ∼10% of sporadic meteoroids in the studied size range, were identified. The first population are meteoroids on asteroidal orbits containing only Fe lines in their spectra and possibly related to iron-nickel meteorites. The second population are meteoroids on orbits with small perihelia (q?0.2 AU), where Na was lost by thermal desorption. The third population of Na-free meteoroids resides on Halley type cometary orbits. This material was possibly formed by irradiation of cometary surfaces by cosmic rays in the Oort cloud. The composition of meteoroids on Halley type orbits is diverse, probably reflecting internal inhomogeneity of comets. On average, cometary dust has lower than chondritic Fe/Mg ratio. Surprisingly, iron meteoroids prevail among millimeter-sized meteoroids on typical Apollo-asteroid orbits. We have also found varying content of Na in the members of the Geminid meteoroid stream, suggesting that Geminid meteoroids were not released from their parent body at the same time.     

Crystallization of cosmic dust from highly supersaturated silicate vapor in a rapidly cooled environment

Growth conditions and the resultant morphology of cosmic forsterite and enstatite particles condensed from the vapor were investigated experimentally as a function of growth temperature and supersaturation using flash-heating by CO₂ laser irradiation. Forsterite particles grew dominantly, followed by a few pyroxenes. No silica minerals were observed. The forsterite morphology changed systematically depending on the temperature (T) and the vapor supersaturation (σ). As the temperature decreased and the vapor supersaturation increased, the forsterite morphology changed from a bulky type (T=1000-1450 °C, σ<97) to a platy type (T=700-1000 °C, σ=97-161), then to a columnar needle shape (T=500-820 °C, σ=131-230), and finally to a droplet type (T<500 °C, σ>230). Very thin polygonal growth steps, which suggest vapor-solid (VS) growth, were detected on the surface of the faceted bulky and platy forsterite particles. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observation showed that the tip of the columnar and needle-shaped forsterite was covered with an amorphous layer. This amorphous coverage illustrates that a liquid phase can be condensed from the vapor, even under the stable conditions where crystalline forsterite is stable. This amorphous layer plays a role in the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism of the forsterite particles. The difference in the growth mechanism as a function of vapor supersaturation and temperature can be explained by metastable liquid condensation. The experimentally synthesized coexisting patterns of VS-grown and VLS-grown olivine particles resemble the pattern of matrix olivine or chondrule rims in primitive meteorites. Forsterite can crystallize more easily than either pyroxene or silica minerals, which is consistent with the dominance of forsterite in cometary dust particles, as suggested by its infrared spectrum.     

Numerical simulations of rotational bursting of F-coronal dust in eccentric orbits due to coronal mass ejections

Model calculations were carried out to determine the extent of the effects on the rotational bursting of F-coronal dust in eccentric orbits due to their interaction with the flow of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The model included an initial limiting perihelion distance of 8 solar radii (R_S) for all particles used. The parameters of the CMEs (velocity and proton number density) along with the various parameters of the dust particles (size and median density) were taken into consideration. By keeping these parameters the same and varying one of them, it was found that the velocity of the CMEs protons plays a major role in determining at which heliocentric distance the particle bursts. To a lesser degree, the median density of the particle also had a similar effect. Depending on the values of the dust particles orbital eccentricity, limiting sizes of the dust particles were found beyond which the particles do not burst. More particles bursted in regions close to their perihelion passage, however very few particles bursted near 8R_S from which we conclude that the majority of the fragmented particles were outside the F-corona region. The results show that rotational bursting of the dust in eccentric orbits inside the F-corona forces the particles to fragment outside 8R_S.