Self-absorption by Vibrationally Excited H_2 in the HUT Spectrum of the Jovian Aurora

Details Self-absorption by Vibrationally Excited H_2 in the HUT Spectrum of the Jovian Aurora Self-absorption by Vibrationally Excited H_2 in the HUT Spectrum of the Jovian Aurora

Jul 1997

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997dps....29.1606w&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #29, #16.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 29, p.997

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

On March 9, 1995, during the Astro-2 mission, a spectrum of the H_2 emission produced by the northern Jovian aurora was obtained by the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT). Strong Werner band transitions near 1050 and 1100 Angstroms, in a region of the spectrum not accessible to IUE or HST, have intensities significantly weaker than those predicted by the theoretical branching ratios for optically thin emission. The observed intensities in the auroral spectrum are shown to be consistent with attenuation due to absorption by vibrationally excited H_2 (v <= 2) in the overlying atmosphere. Absorbed photons escape primarily by fluorescent scattering in transitions which connect to unpopulated vibrational levels at longer wavelengths. Hydrocarbon absorption at wavelengths less than 1400 Angstroms is predominantly due to methane, however the methane cross section does not vary at the wavelength scales necessary to produce the observed attenuation. An Astro-2 HUT spectrum of the Jovian dayglow, produced by a combination of solar and electron-impact fluorescence, displays considerably less attenuation in the 1050--1100 Angstroms region. We present synthetic H_2 fluorescence spectra which include the effects of self-absorption and demonstrate the ability to reproduce the features observed in the HUT spectra.

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