Anisotropic diffusion of meteor trails due to the geomagnetic field over King Sejong Station (62.2°S, 58.8°W), Antarctica

Abstract

We analyzed meteor decay times measured by a VHF meteor radar at King Sejong Station, Antarctica (62.22°S, 58.78°W) to study diffusion processes of the me- teor trails above the altitude of ∼93 km. Above this altitude, where the atmospheric density is so dilute that collisions be- tween trail ions and ambient molecules become rare, diffu- sion of a meteor trail can be greatly affected by the geomag- netic field, resulting in anisotropic distribution of measured decay times over the azimuthal and elevation angles. Our preliminary analysis confirm the anisotropic nature of me- teor decay times due to geomagnetic field.