Some Aspects of Modulational Interaction in Earth’s Dusty Ionosphere Including Dusty Plasmas of Meteor Tails

The mechanism of modulational interaction of various wave modes in the meteoroid tails is described. Modulational instability of different oscillation modes can lead to the appearance of a number of effects observable in the meteoroid tails, such as the electrophonic noises. In particular, the modulational instability of the electromagnetic waves from the meteoroid shock wave related to the dust-acoustic mode, along with the modulational instability of the lower hybrid and Langmuir waves, can cause these effects. Waves that subsequently transform into an acoustic wave reaching the Earth’s surface can be generated in the first case. Magnetic fields with a magnitude comparable to that of the magnetic fields experimentally detected by means of magnetometers can appear in the latter two cases. Transverse electromagnetic oscillations that can be perceived as electrophonic noises heard simultaneously with the meteoroid passage when they reach the Earth’s surface can propagate as well. We analyze the influence of meteor flashes on parameters of the dusty plasma of the meteoroid tails depending on the altitude of the meteor-body passage. Characteristic concentrations of dust particles in the meteoroid tails during flashes as a function of altitude are estimated. Using the example of modulational instability of electromagnetic waves related to the dust-acoustic mode, we demonstrate how increased concentration of dust particles during flashes influences the growth rate of the instability and conditions of its development.