Effect of Energetic Atomic Oxygen and Nitrogen on Neutral Density Models.

摘要

The dissociative recombination of O2(+),NO(+),and N2(+) in the F-region results in the production of atomic oxygen and nitrogen with substantially greater kinetic energy than the ambient atoms. A distribution technique is used to determine the amount of these energetic atoms that are capable of reaching exospheric altitudes from the collision-dominated region at which they are produced. The ballistic trajectories are then calculated in the spherical gravitational field of the earth to study their vertical and horizontal redistribution. In general,the high altitude densities are shown to be substantially greater than those predicted by diffusive equilibrium and a nighttime heating source results from the transport of the energetic atoms from the daytime to the nighttime hemisphere. However,this heating source is negligible in comparison to the major heating mechanisms of the nighttime regions. (Author)