Sputtering of fast meteoroids’ surface

Sputtering effect was proposed as an explanation of high altitude ionization and luminosity, which are not explained by the classical ablation theory. Fast sputtered particles may create luminous area at the altitudes above the altitude of intensive evaporation. We consider the air-meteoroid interaction by the Monte-Carlo type physical model, which allows us to describe the sputtering of meteoroid surface under impacts of incoming air particles. At the altitude 150 km fast particles carry out about 10–20% of incoming flux energy for high velocity meteors. There are also reflected particles, but the most part of total particle outcome is formed by the particles of the meteoroid material. Presence of fast particles possibly explains a large size of meteors in diffuse stage at high altitudes (above 130 km). The sputtering is negligible in the case of meteor velocities below 30 km/s. Sputtered and reflected particles have relatively high ionization degree, which is larger than ionization degree of surrounding atmosphere. We estimated oxygen radiation, which occurs due to the interaction of sputtered particles with surrounding atmosphere, and compared it with observations.