Finite-size corrections to the atmospheric heating of micrometeorites

• Published in: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol. 402; no. 2; pp. 1208 - 1212
• Main Author: Beech, Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 21.02.2010; Wiley-Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Alterations; Astronomy; Astrophysics; Atmospheric heating; Atmospheric sciences; Deceleration; Dust; Earth; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Heating; Mathematics; Meteoroids; meteors; Meteors & meteorites; meteors, meteoroids; Micrometeorites; radiation mechanisms: thermal; radiation mechanisms: thermal; meteors, meteoroids; Finite size effect; meteors; meteoroids; Earth atmosphere; Micrometeorites; Radiation mechanism; Thermal radiation; Deceleration; Upper atmosphere; Meteors; Meteoroids; Corrections
• ISSN: 0035-8711; 1365-2966
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.15968.x

We investigate the heating of micrometeorites and dust particles, as they decelerate in the Earth's upper atmosphere, when finite-size correction effects to the Stefan–Boltzmann surface reradiation law apply. For particles smaller than about 25 μm across, it is found that the finite-size corrections result in significantly lower maximum temperatures being realized. Indeed, the finite-size correction to the Stefan–Boltzmann law acts in the opposite sense to that of a reduced radiative efficiency which tends to increase the temperature of small meteoroids. It is also found that the accumulated thermal processing during atmospheric deceleration is greatly reduced when finite-size correction effects become important and this may have important consequences for the loss of volatile elements, as well as any petrographic alterations that a dust particle may experience.