Physics
Scientific paper
Apr 1993
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993georl..20..759n&link_type=abstract
Geophysical Research Letters (ISSN 0094-8276), vol. 20, no. 8, p. 759, 760.
Physics
Atmospheric Composition, Hydrogen Ions, Oxygen Atoms, Planetary Ionospheres, Venus (Planet), Atmospheric Chemistry, Atmospheric Models, Ion Temperature, Ionospheric Ion Density, Pioneer Venus Spacecraft
Scientific paper
The conclusion of Mahajan et al. (1992) that 'the existence of O(+) as dominant at (Venusian) ionopause altitudes in excess of 500-1000 km can only be explained if atomic oxygen is the major neutral constituent' is argued to be incorrect. It is suggested that at a transition region of about 200 km, thermal atomic oxygen is the dominant neutral gas, and hot oxygen is a minor species; thus the O(+) to H(+) ratio at high altitudes is not an indicator of the presence of hot oxygen at these altitudes. A 1D model for H(+) and O(+) appropriate for the dayside ionosphere of Venus shows that within hot atomic oxygen density values from 1000 to 10 exp 6/ cu cm at 150 km, the calculated H(+) and O(+) densities did not change in any meaningful way, because the hot oxygen population remained a minor neutral constituent below 200 km, which is the approximate height of the transition between chemical and diffusive equilibrium conditions for the ions.
Cravens Thomas E.
Nagy Andrew F.
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