Project Grant 2329677

This $349,521 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences under the NSF Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) supports research at The Pennsylvania State University to investigate the physical processes involved in temperature relaxation and expansion of meteor trails. The research aims to develop a theoretical framework employing plasma fluid equations and Monte Carlo kinetic models to gain new knowledge about electron temperature relaxation, electron-neutral collision frequencies, ambipolar diffusion rates, and the development of gradient-drift plasma instabilities in meteor trails. This work will enhance understanding of plasma inhomogeneities involved in lightning-stimulated transient luminous events and improve existing remote sensing techniques that use meteor echoes to infer temperatures and winds in the upper atmosphere. A graduate student will be supported and trained under this multi-disciplinary research effort, which is co-funded by the NSF Plasma Physics Program.