A rocket-borne airglow photometer

Technical Report · Sun May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1977

OSTI ID:6683469

Paarmann, L D; Smith, L G

The design of a rocket-borne photometer to measure the airglow emission of ionized molecular nitrogen in the 391.4 nm band is presented. This airglow is a well-known and often-observed phenomenon of auroras, where the principal source of ionization is energetic electrons. It is believed that at some midlatitude locations energetic electrons are also a source of nighttime ionization in the E region of the ionosphere. If this is so, then significant levels of 391.4 nm airglow should be present. The intensity of this airglow will be measured in a rocket payload which also contains instrumentation to measure energetic electron differential flux and the ambient electron density. An intercomparison of the 3 experiments in a nighttime launch will allow a test of the importance of energetic electrons as a nighttime source of ionization in the upper E region.

• Research Organization: Illinois Univ., Urbana (USA). Aeronomy Lab.
• OSTI ID: 6683469
• Report Number(s): N-78-12585; NASA-CR-155327; UILU-ENG-77-2501
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AIRGLOW
CHARGED PARTICLES
DESIGN
E REGION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRON DENSITY
EMISSION SPECTRA
FLUIDS
GASES
IONIZED GASES
IONOSPHERE
IONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NITROGEN IONS
PHOTOMETERS
PLANETARY IONSPHERES
SPECTRA