Basic Ionization, Airglow and Auroral Processes

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The interpretation of light emitted by atmospheric atoms and molecules provides an important means for understanding the behavior of the atmosphere. The accuracy of the interpretation depends upon the accuracy of basic knowledge of the detailed behavior of the atoms and molecules involved. This grant aims at providing new and better basic data for interactions important in atmospheric research. A scattering theoretical formulation of molecular spectroscopy is used to interpret spectroscopic data and to construct a potential matrix that reproduces the observations. The matrix is then used to make reliable predictions of the cross sections and rate coefficients of molecular processes that are important in the upper atmosphere. Examples where spectroscopic data exist are molecular oxygen, nitric oxide, the hydroxyl radical and its parent ion. Calculations will be carried out of the quenching of metastable oxygen and nitrogen atoms in collisions with oxygen atoms. The radiative association of oxygen atoms will also be investigated and the emission spectrum obtained. The quenching of metastable oxygen ions and the excitation of metastable oxygen by proton impact will be explored.