Cosmic dust particles continuously enter Earth’s atmosphere, and knowledge of the thermal dynamics of differently sized particles is a crucial first step in understanding the distribution of extraterrestrial matter that ultimately reaches the surface. Some groups seek to link the composition of strata to that of cosmic dust being accrued by the planet during that same time period. To do this, establishing which particles entering the atmosphere will be fully ablated during their journey to the surface is an important distinction, as ablated material will have less predictable trajectories and be more randomly scattered. This study mathematically models the vertical atmospheric descent and resulting heat accumulation of spherical cosmic dust particles of different compositions as well as initial velocities. Three models are developed using Newton’s Second Law to simulate particle trajectories from the mesosphere to the surface. An initial analytical model uses separation of variables under the assumption of constant atmospheric density and negligible gravity. Two subsequent models, solved via numerical integration, introduce variable atmospheric density and explicit gravity to improve heat profile accuracy. Comparative analysis across initial velocity regimes reveals that at high velocities, aerodynamic drag heavily dictates the heat profile as kinetic energy is converted to heat, whereas in low-velocity particles, gravitational acceleration dominates heat generation due to the eventual conversion of potential energy to heat. Ultimately, these preliminary models provide a foundational mathematical framework to predict the thermal survivability of cosmic dust and aid in the interpretation of geological strata.

70 Mechanics of particles and systems