Approximations for the Electron Density in Meteor Trails

Abstract

Herlofsen (1947) has shown that an exact solution of the equations governing the evaporation of a meteor particle during its flight in the upper atmosphere can be obtained in the special case of a spherical meteor in an isothermal atmosphere. In terms of the number n of meteor atoms evaporated in unit length of trail, the electron density a is $$. (1)