Collisional Removal of O2(b1Σ ^+g, v = 1) by Atomic Oxygen

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0300 Atmospheric Composition And Structure, 0310 Airglow And Aurora, 0340 Middle Atmosphere: Composition And Chemistry, 0355 Thermosphere: Composition And Chemistry, 0399 General Or Miscellaneous

Scientific paper

In the thermosphere, energy transfer between excited O atoms and ground-state molecular oxygen produces O2 in the first two vibrational levels of the b1Σ ^+g state: O(1D) + O2 -> O(3P) + O2(b1Σ ^+g, v = 0, 1). Subsequent radiative decay of O2(b1Σ ^+g, v = 0, 1) to the ground state O2(X3Σ ^-g) results in the Atmospheric Band emissions. Atmospheric observations suggest that above ˜120 km O(3P) plays an important role in removing O2(b1Σ ^+g, v = 1). Therefore, knowledge of the rate coefficient for collisional removal of O2(b1Σ ^+g<, v = 1) by O(3P) is important for detailed understanding of the Atmospheric Band emissions. Measurements are reported of the room-temperature rate coefficient for removal of O2(b1Σ ^+g, v = 1) by O(3P). A commercial F2 laser with pulsed energy output of up to 50 mJ at 157 nm is used to photodissociate a large fraction of molecular oxygen in a O2/N2 mixture. Photodissociation of an O2 molecule produces a ground-state oxygen atom O(3P) and an excited oxygen atom O(1D), and O(1D) rapidly transfers energy to the remaining O2 to produce O2(b1Σ ^+g, v = 0, 1). The O2(b1Σ ^+g, v = 1) population is monitored by observing emission in the O2 (b-X) 1--1 band at 771 nm. To extract the O2(b1Σ ^+g, v = 1) + O(3P) rate coefficient, knowledge of the O(3P) partial pressure or, equivalently, the fraction of dissociated O2, is necessary. Based on the F2 laser fluence, the signal dependence on the fraction of dissociation, and computer modeling, the signals measured in our experiments correspond to about 50% dissociation. Our measurements yield a preliminary value of the rate coefficient for O2(b1Σ ^+g, v = 1) removal by O(3P) of 6 × 10-12 cm3s-1. The results will be compared to the rate coefficients for corresponding processes in the ground and a1Δ g states of O2, and implications of the results for modeling of the upper atmosphere will be discussed. This work is supported by the NSF Aeronomy Program under grant ATM-0209229. The F2 laser was purchased under grant ATM-0216583 from the NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program.

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