Laboratory Studies Required for the Extraction of O-atom Concentration Profiles from O2 Atmospheric Band Emissions

该项目建议测量氧原子碰撞去除O2的速率系数作为温度在300-800 K范围内的函数。这一测量是量化解释O2强电离层发射的新方法的关键一步，从而得出氧原子密度和当地温度的高度分布。这些750-780纳米发射的大量数据集已经从中途空间实验（MSX）和亚利桑那气辉（GLO）研究中获得，一旦确定了上述速率系数，就可以提供全球高度相关的O（3 P）原子密度图。同时，大气O2发射带包络的形状可以提供局部温度。因此，拟议的实验室实验将显着改善目前不令人满意的理解热层排放的O2。

This project proposes to measure the rate coefficient for the collisional removal of O2 by oxygen atoms as a function of temperature in the range 300-800 K. This measurement is a key step in quantifying a new approach for interpreting the strong ionospheric emissions from O2 and thereby deriving altitude profiles of oxygen atom density and local temperature. Extensive data sets of these 750-780 nm emissions are already available from the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) and the Arizona Airglow (GLO) studies and can provide global altitude-dependent O( 3 P) atom density maps, once the above rate coefficient has been determined. Simultaneously, the shape of the atmospheric O2 emission band envelopes can provide the local temperature. The proposed laboratory experiments will thus significantly improve the current unsatisfactory understanding of thermospheric emissions from O2.