Phase-enhanced trajectory and speed reconstruction of meteoroids using BRAMS data

In this project, we aim to reconstruct meteoroid trajectories thanks to
a forward scatter radio system using a pure continuous wave (CW)
transmitted signal with no modulation. To do so, we use the meteor
echoes recorded at the receivers of the BRAMS (Belgian RAdio Meteor
Stations) network. The latter is made of a dedicated transmitter and
currently 48 receiving stations located in and nearby Belgium, all
synchronized using GPS clocks.

Our approach processes the signals recorded at the BRAMS receivers and
uses the time delays between the meteor echoes as inputs to a nonlinear
optimization solver. We compare the quality of our reconstructions data
to the trajectories given by the optical CAMS (Cameras for Allsky
Meteor Surveillance) network in Benelux. To do so, we solve the general
CW forward scatter trajectory reconstruction problem, but we highlight
its strong ill-conditioning if the only inputs are the time delays of
the echoes at the receivers.

To obtain a better accuracy for a large number of meteoroids, the time
delays are complemented by information about the signal phase. The
approach used for this work is based on the pre-t0 phase technique
introduced for backscatter radars. In this project, we extend and adapt
the method to forward scatter systems and we illustrate the improved
accuracy that it brings on the meteoroid trajectory and speed
reconstruction.