Charge exchange contamination of CRIT-2 barium CIV experiment

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/91GL00018· OSTI ID:5995451

Swenson, G R; Mende, S B; Meyerott, R E; Rairden, R L ^[1]

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1. Lockheed Palo Alto Research Lab., CA (United States)

Experiments have been recently performed which attempted to confirm Critical Ionization Velocity (CIV) ionization by deploying chemicals at high velocity in the ionosphere. Specifically, the CRIT-2 Rocket performed a barium release in the ionosphere where observations of Ba{sup +} resonant emissions following release are believed to have resulted from the CIV process. Calculations are presented here which suggest a significant fraction (if not all) of the Ba{sup +} observed likely resulted from charge exchange with the thermosphere ions and not through CIV processes. The results presented here are pertinent to other CIV experiments performed in the ionosphere. It is recommended that laboratory measurements of the charge exchange cross section between O{sup +} and Ba as well as other metal vapors used in CIV experiments be made.

• OSTI ID: 5995451
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States) Vol. 18:3; ISSN GPRLA; ISSN 0094-8276
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCELERATION
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOMS
BARIUM
BARIUM IONS
CHARGE EXCHANGE
CHARGED PARTICLES
COLLISIONS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELEMENTS
ION COLLISIONS
ION-ATOM COLLISIONS
IONIZATION
IONOSPHERE
IONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METALS
NONMETALS
OXYGEN
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA DENSITY
ROCKETS
THERMOSPHERE