The O I (6300 Å) airglow

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The measurement capability of the Atmosphere Explorer (AE) satellite series has been used to investigate the detailed chemistry of O(¹D) atoms in the earth's thermosphere. Measurements of the O I (³P‐¹D) transition at 6300 Å on AE have been used to infer the strength of the O2+ dissociative recombination source of O(¹D), (β¹D) the quenching rate of O(¹D) by molecular nitrogen (KN2), and the value of the photodissociation rate of O2 (Jo2). Values inferred from the measurements for β¹D, KN2, and Jo2 are 1.33, 3 × 10−11 cm³ s−1, and 3 × 10−6 s−1 respectively. The photoelectron impact source of O(¹D) has also been investigated. A unimolecular rate constant for this process derived from the airglow data agrees well with current theoretical calculations. Morning and evening twilight 6300‐Å data compare favorably with those calculated by a time‐dependent model of the mid‐latitude ionosphere.

This publication has 39 references indexed in Scilit: