Analysis of nitric oxide fluorescence bands from high latitude rocket observations of the thermospheric dayglow

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5572902

Cleary, D D

Ultraviolet spectra of the Earth's thermospheric dayglow are analyzed. The observations were made on August 10, 1982 from Poker Flats, Alaska, using a rocket-borne spectrometer that measured the wavelength range 1950 to 2170 A. This part of the spectrum is dominated by emissions from the gamma, delta, and epsilon bands of nitric oxide. Column densities of nitric oxide are determined by fitting these fluorescence bands with synthetic spectra. Below 125 km, the (1,0) and (2,0) gamma bands are self-absorbed due to the large NO column densities associated with the auroral zone, particularly when the measurements are made using a horizontally viewing instrument. Three bands of the weak NO epsilon system, (0,1), (0,2), and (0,3), were detected in this region of the spectrum. This is the first time these features have been clearly resolved from spectra of the Earth's dayglow and positively identified with the epsilon system. Because these fluorescently scattered epsilon bands do not connect to the ground vibrational level, they are not affected by self-absorption. With these bands, column densities of nitric oxide were determined to between 100 and 125 km using the epsilon bands.

• Research Organization: Colorado Univ., Boulder (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5572902
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ABSORPTION
AIRGLOW
AURORAL ZONES
CHALCOGENIDES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
NITRIC OXIDE
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SELF-ABSORPTION
SPECTRA
THERMOSPHERE
ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRA