The Ionizing Effect of Meteors in Relation to Radio Propagation

From a study of available meteor data it is concluded: (1) that meteors expend the larger part of their energy in the Kennelly-Heaviside regions, that is, in the regions of the upper atmosphere which control the propagation of all long-distance radio waves; (2) that the major portion of a meteor´s energy goes into ionization of the gases around its path; (3) that this ionization extends to a considerable distance from the actual path,-in some cases several kilometers or more and lasts for some minutes after the meteor has passed; (4) meteor trains are produced only in the lower Kennelly-Heaviside layer. A table of the various sources of ionization of the upper atmosphere is given with values for each in ergs cm^-2sec^-1. These include sunlight, moonlight, starlight, cosmic rays, and meteors. During meteoric showers the ionizing effect does not appear to be negligible compared with that due to other ionizing agencies occurring at night. A meteor of one-gram mass or greater will produce, on the above assumptions, sufficient ionization to affect propagation. One explanation of the general turbulent condition of the ionized layers may be provided by the continuous bombardment of meteors.