Energetic oxygen precipitation as a source of vibrationally excited N/sub 2//sup +/ in emissions observed at low latitudes

Journal Article · Sat May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982 · Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL009i005p00543· OSTI ID:7040420

Tinsley, B A; Rohrbaugh, R P; Sahai, Y; Teixeira, N R

Observations have been made at Mt. Haleakala, Hawaii (dip lat.approx.22/sup 0/N) and Cachoeira Paulista, Brasil (dip lat.approx.12/sup 0/S) of emissions excited by particle precipitation during periods of magnetic activity. The first negative bands of N/sub 2//sup +/ were found to have a high degree of vibrational excitation at both sites, and withi the absence of emissions attributable to hydrogen and helium, this finding leads to the interpretation that the excitation was due to a flux of precipitating oxygen atoms or ions, more plausibly the former, produced by charge exchange of ring current O/sup +/ ions with exospheric neutral constituents. More laboratory work is needed to properly interpret the data, but crude estimates of the associated energy deposition and ionization production fall in the range 10/sup -1/ to 10/sup +1/mWm/sup -2/, and 10/sup 0/-10/sup 2/ cm/sup -3/s/sup -1/ respectively.

• Research Organization: The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080
• OSTI ID: 7040420
• Journal Information: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Vol. 9:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
IONOSPHERE
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
EMISSION SPECTRA
MAGNETIC STORMS
NITROGEN IONS
OXYGEN IONS
PHOTOMETERS
TROPICAL REGIONS
VISIBLE RADIATION
CHARGED PARTICLES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
IONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
RADIATIONS
SPECTRA
640201* - Atmospheric Physics- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena