A Model of Meteoroid Atmospheric Entry with Implications for the NEO Hazard and the Impact of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 on Jupiter

A new semi-analytical model describing the entry and deformation of meteoroids entering planetary atmospheres has been developed and calibrated against numerical simulations performed using the CTH shock-physics computational hydrocode. The model starts with the classical treatment of meteoroid ablation which is modified to include an explicit treatment of energy conservation during the ablative process. This is reconciled with terrestrial observations by modeling the formation of a vapor/debris layer (the visible bolide) surrounding the central meteoroid. A mechanical deformation model based on long-wavelength hydrodynamic instability growth is added and calibrated against numerical simulations performed with CTH. The analytical model provides initial conditions for numerical fireball simulations which are compared with observations of the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact on Jupiter and can be used to assess the terrestrial impact hazard.