Secondary electrons in aurora

The Bethe approximation is used with measured and theoretical values of ionization cross sections and measured values of differential oscillator strengths to derive the initial energy spectrum of auroral secondary electrons. The differential flux of the auroral secondaries is then calculated, using the approximation of continuous energy loss. The calculations are applied to a particular aurora for which rocket data have been published. There is substantial disagreement between theoretical and measured electron spectra. The theoretical spectra show structure at energies less than 20 eV, associated primarily with vibrational and electronic excitation of molecular nitrogen. This structure is largely absent in the measured spectrum. Substantially more high energy electrons were measured than theory predicts. In addition, there are disagreements in the altitude profiles of the total number of non-thermal secondary electrons.

Calculated values of OI green line photon emission rates which result from excitation by secondary electrons and dissociative recombination of O₂⁺ fall short of the measured values. The effect on the excitation rate of varying several parameters is investigated, and it is found that the results are particularly sensitive to competing inelastic processes in N₂.