Simultaneous broadband radio and optical emission of meteor trains imaged by LOFAR / AARTFAAC and CAMS

TL;DR

This study presents simultaneous radio and optical observations of meteor trains during the Perseid shower, revealing broadband radio emissions with some trains persisting for minutes, offering new insights into meteor radio emission mechanisms.

Contribution

It provides the first simultaneous broadband radio and optical imaging of meteor trains, revealing persistent radio emissions and differences across meteor showers.

Findings

204 meteor trains imaged in both radio and optical domains.

Persistent broadband radio emission observed, some lasting up to 6 minutes.

Fewer radio trains recorded during Geminids and Quadrantids compared to Perseids.

Abstract

We report on simultaneous 30 - 60 MHz LOFAR / AARTFAAC12 radio observations and CAMS low-light video observations of +4 to -10 magnitude meteors at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower on August 12/13, 2020. 204 meteor trains were imaged in both the radio and optical domain. Aside from scattered artificial radio sources, we identify broadband radio emission from many persistent trains, one of which lingered for up to 6 minutes. Unexpectedly, fewer broadband radio meteor trains were recorded when the experiment was repeated during the 2020 Geminids and 2021 Quadrantids. Intrinsic broadband radio emission was reported earlier by the Long Wavelength Array, but for much brighter meteors and observed with lower spatial resolution. The new results offer insight into the unknown radio emission mechanism.