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Title: Photoacoustic Sounds from Meteors.

Abstract

High-speed photometric observations of meteor fireballs have shown that they often produce high-amplitude light oscillations with frequency components in the kHz range, and in some cases exhibit strong millisecond flares. We built a light source with similar characteristics and illuminated various materials in the laboratory, generating audible sounds. Models suggest that light oscillations and pulses can radiatively heat dielectric materials, which in turn conductively heats the surrounding air on millisecond timescales. The sound waves can be heard if the illuminated material is sufficiently close to the observer’s ears. The mechanism described herein may explain many reports of meteors that appear to be audible while they are concurrently visible in the sky and too far away for sound to have propagated to the observer. This photoacoustic (PA) explanation provides an alternative to electrophonic (EP) sounds hypothesized to arise from electromagnetic coupling of plasma oscillation in the meteor wake to natural antennas in the vicinity of an observer.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  2. Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (ASCR), Prague (Czech Republic)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Secretary of Energy (S)
OSTI Identifier:
1427219
Report Number(s):
SAND-2015-1873J
Journal ID: ISSN 9999-0014; 579529
DOE Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Sandia journal manuscript; Not yet accepted for publication
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Sandia journal manuscript; Not yet accepted for publication; Journal ID: ISSN 9999-0014
Publisher:
Sandia
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS

Citation Formats

Spalding, Richard E., Tencer, John, Sweatt, William C., Hogan, Roy E., Boslough, Mark B., and Spurny, Pavel. Photoacoustic Sounds from Meteors.. United States: N. p., 2015. Web.
Spalding, Richard E., Tencer, John, Sweatt, William C., Hogan, Roy E., Boslough, Mark B., & Spurny, Pavel. Photoacoustic Sounds from Meteors.. United States.
Spalding, Richard E., Tencer, John, Sweatt, William C., Hogan, Roy E., Boslough, Mark B., and Spurny, Pavel. 2015. "Photoacoustic Sounds from Meteors.". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1427219.
@article{osti_1427219,
title = {Photoacoustic Sounds from Meteors.},
author = {Spalding, Richard E. and Tencer, John and Sweatt, William C. and Hogan, Roy E. and Boslough, Mark B. and Spurny, Pavel},
abstractNote = {High-speed photometric observations of meteor fireballs have shown that they often produce high-amplitude light oscillations with frequency components in the kHz range, and in some cases exhibit strong millisecond flares. We built a light source with similar characteristics and illuminated various materials in the laboratory, generating audible sounds. Models suggest that light oscillations and pulses can radiatively heat dielectric materials, which in turn conductively heats the surrounding air on millisecond timescales. The sound waves can be heard if the illuminated material is sufficiently close to the observer’s ears. The mechanism described herein may explain many reports of meteors that appear to be audible while they are concurrently visible in the sky and too far away for sound to have propagated to the observer. This photoacoustic (PA) explanation provides an alternative to electrophonic (EP) sounds hypothesized to arise from electromagnetic coupling of plasma oscillation in the meteor wake to natural antennas in the vicinity of an observer.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1427219}, journal = {Sandia journal manuscript; Not yet accepted for publication},
issn = {9999-0014},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}