Damping of the Satellite Wake in the Ionosphere

Abstract

Landau damping of the ion plasma oscillations which constitute the wake of a line charge moving supersonically through a low‐density plasma is studied. Maxwellian distribution functions in the ambient plasma for both electrons and ions have been assumed. It is found that the damping is critical to the question of whether the electrohydrodynamic wake produced by a satellite in the ionosphere is observable, unless the electron temperature is at least an order of magnitude greater than the ion temperature.