O_2(b^1Σ_g^+), O(^1D), and O_2^+ + e Recombination in the Lower Thermosphere

Details O_2(b^1Σ_g^+), O(^1D), and O_2^+ + e Recombination in the Lower Thermosphere O_2(b^1Σ_g^+), O(^1D), and O_2^+ + e Recombination in the Lower Thermosphere

Oct 1998

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998aps..gec.dm308h&link_type=abstract

American Physical Society, 51st Annual Gaseous Electronics Conference & 4th International Conference on Reactive Plasmas October

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Night-sky spectra taken with the HIRES spectrometer at the Keck I telescope on Mauna Kea have revealed emissions from O_2(b^1Σ_g^+) in vibrational levels up to v^'=15. Previously only v^'=0 was known in the nightglow. Emissions from v^'=1 are unexpectedly strong, comparable to v^'=2, and variable from scan to scan. v^'=1 emissions are visible up to J^'=50 (requiring a temperature of more than 500 K, such as in the thermosphere), while v^'=2 emissions are restricted to J^'<25 (consistent with a temperature of 200 K near the mesopause, where O + O recombination would peak). Considering that quenching of v^'=1 is about ten times faster than v^'=2, we infer that separate mechanisms are responsible for production of v^'=1 and the other vibrational levels. The principal source of v^'=1 appears to be O_2^+ + e arrow O(^1D), followed by O(^1D) + O2 arrow O_2(b^1Σ_g^+)_v^'=1. At twilight, this process should have a maximum emission yield below 150 km, rising to about 250 km as the night progresses. Simultaneous observation of O(^1D) and O_2(b^1Σ_g^+)_v^'=0,1,2 should provide new information about kinetics in the thermosphere.

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