Strengths and limitations of HF radar for meteor backscatter detection

Abstract

The response of a high frequency (HF) radar system to echoes from underdense meteor trails is numerically calculated. The strengths and limitations of radar detection of meteors at different radar frequencies are studied based on standard theory. The standard theory takes into account the initial trail radius, the finite meteor velocity, and the radial diffusion. The significance of the data processing scheme, the pulse repetition frequency, and the data sampling interval are all investigated. The study shows that radars operating at wavelengths of around 5-15 m are unable to detect high altitude meteors due to wavelength dependent ceilings. Long wavelength radars operating around 15-60 m are potentially able to detect many more underdense meteor echoes than the radars operating around 5-15 m. However, there are many important and attributive factors influencing the observation of meteors at low radio frequencies and the advantages and drawbacks are specifically discussed insofar as detecting meteors at low frequency.