Barium Cloud Growth and Striation in a Conducting Background

摘要

Previous calculations of barium cloud growth failed to give reasonable estimates of striation scale size and onset time because they either assumed no ionospheric end-shorting or no ion diffusion (all modes unstable) or strong shorting (all modes stable). The authors derive a set of equations which include finite end-shorting and solve by a new numerical technique. For moderate end-shorting (in the experimental range) a fastest growing mode of reasonable size on the rear of the cloud is obtained. The growth rates and instability range are very sensitive to the end-shorting and magnitude of the ambient electric field. There is no growth below a critical value of E or above a critical value of the shorting. A series of graphs are presented. The authors also derive most previous results as special cases of our equations. (Author)