(meteorobs) Forgotten research on meteors - maybe it is time to reconsider?

[Andrei Ol'khovatov]

Dear All,

As I know many meteor-lovers are using radio-devices trying to catch 
possible radiowaves associated with meteors (if any).

Meanwhile I would like to attract attention to another puzzle associated 
with meteors.

In the 1960s a lot of research was done in (that times) the Soviet Union 
checking an idea that meteors, comets consist of antimatter! (after some 
criticism by astronomers the idea was modified into 'some sporadic 
meteors are of antimatter'). The idea was promoted by outstanding Soviet 
scientist academician Boris Konstantinov ( 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Konstantinov ).
Konstantinov led rather large scale research trying to find connection 
between meteors and 'nuclear' radiation which was thought to be 
generated during antimatter-matter annihilation. They even launched 
high-altitude ballons, placed radiation counters on airplanes, etc..

Probably the most interesting way was to place the radiation counters 
and a radar in such position, that the radar could 'see' meteors above 
the detectors. Then they calculated statistics. They discovered some 
peculiarities in statistics. According to their intriguing results a 
meteor generates ~ 1 additional count of the counter at altitudes 13-18 
km in average (i.e. increase of background radiation for ~ 2% ). Time 
scale of the effect is ~ 10 seconds. Probability of its random nature is 
0.000001 .

After death of Konstantinov in 1969 the idea of the 'antimatter meteors' 
was quickly forgotten.

But forgotten also were the intriguing experimental results... Indeed 
how to explain them as
we know that meteoroids/comets are not of antimatter? Apparently 
'something happens' - but what?

It looks like nowadays when the astonishing 'antimatter thunderstorm' 
appears
( 
http://www.nature.com/news/rogue-antimatter-found-in-thunderclouds-1.17526 )
, it is a proper time to reconsider the old meteor's results again. 
Meteor phenomena produce many puzzles. Who knows, maybe future 'nuclear 
meteor' research help to better understand some meteor's mysteries as 
electrophonic sounds, reported electric disturbances, etc.?...

The reported 'nuclear' meteor effect was rather small, so large 
statistical data is needed --> a community of  meteor-lovers could do 
even more than a single well-equipped laboratory.

I hope that some people will be interesting to reconsider the effect.

Here is about the main article by the Konstantinov's group:
http://adslabs.org/adsabs/abs/1966CosRe...4...58K/


Sincerely,
Andrei Ol'khovatov