Statistics – Computation
Scientific paper
Oct 1980
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1980georl...7..761e&link_type=abstract
Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 7, Oct. 1980, p. 761-764.
Statistics
Computation
1
Auroral Spectroscopy, Auroras, Emission Spectra, Nitric Oxide, Electron Impact, Laboratories, Radiative Lifetime, Satellite Observation, Ultraviolet Spectra
Scientific paper
The prominent emission feature near 2145 A in the ultraviolet spectrum of an aurora has been tentatively identified by Dick (1978) as the doublet lines, 2139.68 A and 2143.55 A, emitted by metastable N+(5S) ions, and dissociative excitation of N2 by electron impact with a cross section greater than or equal to 2 x 10 to the -18th sq cm has been proposed as the source of this species. A detailed laboratory study of dissociative excitation is described that suggests two alternative viewpoints of this process: (1) If the calculated radiative lifetime for the N+(5S) state (4.4 microsec) is correct, then the N+(5S) dissociative excitation cross section is less than 3 x 10 to the -21st sq cm. Thus, a new N+(5S) source mechanism would have to be found in order to account for the auroral data. (2) If dissociative excitation does form N+(5S) ions efficiently, then the laboratory and field observations imply a radiative lifetime for this state of more than 10 msec, thus suggesting that there are major errors in the lifetime computation.
Erdman P. W.
Espy Patrick J.
Zipf Edward C.
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