CANOES II; Dynamics of Atmospheric Infrared Thermochemical Excitation. Volume 2.

摘要

In the electron disturbed upper atmosphere, electronically excited metastable forms of oxygen and nitrogen are formed by electron impact processes. These species dissipate their energy into the atmosphere largely by collisional quenching and chemical reaction. Specific species and reactions of interest include: 1) electronically and/or vibrationally excited nitrogen, N2*, its spectroscopy, energy pooling and interactions with Oxygen, O2 and trace, infrared-active atmospheric species such as CO, CO2, and Nitric Oxide; 2) metastable atomic nitrogen, N(2D, 2P), reaction kinetics and product branching ratios in interactions with the above atmospheric species; 3) various metastable states of O2, O2*, and their potential as auroral precursors of infrared radiation from other atmospheric species; and 4) the role of metastable-metastable O2/N2 interactions as potential sources for non-linear infrared effects which might occur in strong aurorae. This document reports on the results from a four-year coupled experimental program using the COCHISE and FAKIR facilities to investigate these issues in fundamental detail. Keywords: Infrared emission, Ozone, Molecular dynamics, Vibrational dynamics, Vibrational excitation, Atmospheric background, Reaction kinetics, Coefficients, Electron transitions. (aw)