Physics of Meteoric Phenomena

1. General Information about Meteoric Phenomena.- 2. Historical Review of Research in Meteor Physics.- I. The Simple Physical Theory of Meteors.- 3. Fundamental Equations.- 4. Self-Similarity of the Problem of Motion and Ablation of a Meteoroid.- 5. The Problem of Meteoroid Motion with Variable Coefficients.- 6. Flow Regimes.- 7. Parameters of the Fundamental Equations.- II. The Heating of Meteoroids and the Onset of Vaporization.- 8. The Heating of a Meteoroid in the Upper Section of its Path.- 9. The Transition to Intensive Evaporation.- 10. Shielding Effects. The Regime of First Collisions.- 11. Shielding in the Transition Regime.- 12. The Case of Strong Shielding.- III. Ablation of Meteoroids.- 13. Two Main Mechanisms of Ablation: Vaporization and Spraying or Blowoff of the Molten Layer.- 14. Experimental Studies of Ablation.- 15. Theoretical Studies of the Ablation of Large Bodies.- 16. Large-Meteoroid Vaporization under the Influence of the Radiation Flux.- 17. Formation of an Ablational Shock Wave and the Energetics of Large Meteoroids.- 18. Ablation and Meteorite Morphology.- IV. Luminosities and Spectra of Meteors.- 19. The Nature of Meteor Radiation.- 20. The Luminosity Equation and its Parameters.- 21. Experimental Determinations of the Radiative Efficiency.- 22. The Effect of Meteoroid Flight Condition on the Radiative Efficiency.- 23. The Qualitative Analysis of Meteor Spectra.- 24. The Quantitative Analysis of Meteor Spectra. The Curve-of-Growth Method.- 25. Determination of the Chemical Compositions of Meteoroids from their Spectra. Comparison with Meteorites.- 26. Some Unusual Emissions.- V. Meteoric Ionization.- 27. Formation of the Ion Trail.- 28. Classification of Meteor Ion Trails.- 29. Disintegration of the Ion Trail.- 30. The Head Echo and its Relation to other Phenomena.- VI. Masses and Densities of Meteoroids.- 31. Dynamic Masses.- 32. Photometric Masses.- 33. The Hypothesis of Dustballs and Friable Meteoric Bodies.- 34. Explanation of the