On the nature of hydroxyl airglow

There are several types of hydroxyl airglow characterized by different relative fluctuations of the intensity and rotational temperature, and by unequal lags of the fluctuations in the intensity with respect to rotational temperature variations. On this basis suppositions are made on the nature of hydroxyl airglow.     

Measurement of the OH rotational temperature at Mawson,East Antarctica

Measurements of the hydroxyl rotational temperature for the (8, 3) Meinel band are reported for observations made at Mawson, East Antarctica (67° 36′ S, 62° 53′ E) over the austral winter of 1979. Mean values of the rotational temperature are given for 54 nights. The average value lies in the range 160–170 K. The measured temperatures appear lower than those that have been reported at similar latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. A gradual decrease in the value of the temperature throughout the course of the evening is the only diurnal trend observed. There is little evidence for any impulsive heating associated with auroral activity.     

Determination of the effective height of fluctuations of hydroxyl emission

The results of triangulation measurements of the height of hydroxyl emission from the fluctuations in rotational temperature are described. The height of maximum fluctuations of the temperature varies from night to night and even during one night from 80 to 100 km.     

On the equilibrium nature of the rotational temperature of hydroxyl airglow

The rotational temperature of the hydroxyl at Zvenigorod almost reflects the actual temperature of the environment.     

Nightglow OH (8, 3) band intensities and rotational temperature at 23°S

The OH (8, 3) band airglow emission has been observed over 1 year at a latitude of 23°S. The average band intensity observed was 385 Rayleighs with a nocturnal range typically less than 100 R. The nocturnal variation in rotational temperature was usually less than 10°K, and the mean temperature was 179°K. The nocturnal variation of intensity is usually uncorrelated with that of the rotational temperature. Time average values of these parameters do, however, show some correlation. On some occasions large post-twilight and pre-dawn intensity enhancements are observed.     

Horizontal thermal structure of the mesosphere from observations of OH(8-3) band emissions

Two computerized tilting-filter photometers and a programmable dual axis mirror system have been used to produce maps of OH rotational temperature and intensity. Each map consists of a square array of 121 sky positions. Significant horizontal structure is not generally observed in mesospheric OH(8-3) rotational temperature at Arecibo. However, there is evidence for the occasional occurence of a thermal wave just after evening twilight.     

A potential new method for determining the temperature of cool stars

We present high-resolution  ( R = 90 000)  mid-infrared spectra of M dwarfs. The mid-infrared region of the spectra of cool low-mass stars contains pure rotational water vapour transitions that may provide us with a new methodology in the determination of the effective temperatures for low-mass stars. We identify and assign water transitions in these spectra and determine how sensitive each pure rotational water transition is to small (25 K) changes in effective temperature. We find that, of the 36 confirmed and assigned pure rotational water transitions, at least 10 should be sensitive enough to be used as temperature indicators.     

High latitude airglow observations of correlated short-term fluctuations in the hydroxyl meinel 8-3 band intensity and rotational temperature

An application of a tilting filter photometer for the ground-based measurement of the atmospheric temperature at the mesopause altitude (~85km) is described. The technique uses selected rotational emission lines of the OH Meinel night airglow to determine a rotational temperature. A sampling rate of approximately one per minute with a precision of ±5K can be achieved with a field of view (4-km transverse at the mesopause height) sufficient to detect fine structure variations in the temperature and intensity. The systematic error of these measurements is comparable with those of rocket in situ measurements by falling spheres or parachute-borne thermistors. Results obtained March 1974, at Ester Dome, Alaska, indicate the presence of systematic fluctuations in the rotational temperature and the 8-3 band intensity of period 16 min and amplitude 2–4 per cent.     

On the rotational temperature of airglow hydroxyl emissions

It is argued that available observational information does not support the contention (recently advanced by Suzuki and Tohmatsu, 1976) that the rotational temperature derived from an airglow hydroxyl emission band depends systematically on the quantum number (ν′) of the vibrational state from which the band originates. In particular, it is shown that bands originating from ν′ = 6, 7 and 8, measured simultaneously, exhibit rotational temperatures which (within the experimental errors) are equal.     

On the effective temperature of large sunspot umbra using CrH sextets electronic state molecular lines

A high-resolution spectrum clearly shows the presence of A ⁶Σ⁺–X ⁶Σ⁺(0,0;0,1;1,0;2,0;2,1) and (2,2) bands system of CrH molecular lines in the spectral range 10,000 cm⁻¹ to 14,050 cm⁻¹. At least 3928 lines of the six bands, accounting for 57% of the lines registered in the laboratory can be identified with certainty in the sunspot spectrum. Most of the lines are found blended with TiO, CaH, MgH and other atomic species. These molecular lines are typically much more temperature sensitive than atomic lines, which make them ideal, complementary tool for studying cool stellar atmospheres as well as the internal structure of sunspots. Equivalent width for an adequate number of well identified molecular lines of these bands using the Gaussian-profile approximation method versus rotational quantum number J has been used to determine the effective rotational temperature of the CrH molecule. The range of effective rotational temperature value obtained from these bands is 1766 K to 2442 K. This range agrees well with the effective rotational temperatures derived for other molecules in sunspot umbrae.     

Polar cap oh airglow rotational temperatures at the mesopause during a stratospheric warming event

OH (8-3) band rotational temperature was observed at 78.4°N during a stratospheric wanning event. A negative temperature wave of the order of 40 K observed near the mesopause seems to be associated with a corresponding stratospheric warming of the order of 20 K. A 1–2-day delay is observed between the maximum stratospheric warming and the maximum cooling near the mesopause seen in the OH rotational temperature change.     

Collisional excitation of interstellar molecule due to H2

Collision induced vibrational rates of SiO due to H₂ are computed using the normalized perturbative, semiclassical approach as described in Paper I (Mehrotra, 1980). The rates are very small as compared to the rates for rotational excitation and are more sensitive to temperature.     

An interpretation of the rotational temperature of the airglow hydroxyl emissions

The rotational temperature of the airglow hydroxyl emissions arising from various schemes of vibrational transitions was obtained by using spectroscopic data from six observational sources. The rotational temperature was found to depend systematically on the quantum number (ν') of the upper vibrational level from which the relevant band originates. It has a doubly degrading characteristic with respect to ν' taking maximal values at ν' = 6 and 9, which exceed considerably the atmospheric temperature. It drops off quickly as ν' decreases from 9 to 7, and then from 6 to 3 after making an abrupt rise at ν' = 6. This ν'-dependence of the rotational temperature is in favor of the hypothesis that there are two routes of excitation of the hydroxyl airglow: O₃ + H = OH(ν ? 9) + O₂, and HO₂ + O = OH(ν ? 6) + O₂. The present result implies also that the relaxation time of rotation of OH in the upper mesosphere is as long as 0.1 sec; a value an order of magnitude larger than that inferred in earlier laboratory experiments.     

Results of some airglow observations of internal gravitational waves

Data on internal gravitational waves at heights of 90–100 km obtained from the intensities and rotational temperature of atmospheric emissions are compared with data on such waves at heights of 200–400 km obtained by radio methods. The difference in the characteristics of waves at different heights is discussed.     

High-dispersion spectroscopic observations of Venus near superior conjunction: II. The carbon dioxide band at 7883 Å

Nine plates of the 7883-Å CO₂ band were taken between phase angles 7.2 and 10.7° in 1971. A curve-of-growth analysis of 28 rotational lines in the band indicates an average rotational temperature of 236 ± 8°K; the average slope of the curve of growth was 0.63 ± 0.06. The results for this band are compared to those for the 7820-Å band.     

Temporal variations in night-time hydroxyl rotational temperature

Airborne and groundbased OH measurements showing short-term temporal variations in OH rotational temperature are presented. The variations are interpreted on the basis of a dynamic model of the OH emitting region; they are also employed to clarify the apparent contradiction in latitude dependence of OH intensity reported in the literature.     

Tidal and solar cycle effects on the OI 5577 Å, NaD and OH(8,3) airglow emissions observed at 23°S

The upper mesosphere airglow emissions OI 5577, NaD and OH have been observed at Cachoeira Paulista (22.7°S; 45.0°W) Brazil. Nocturnal variations and their seasonal dependencies in amplitude and phase, and the annual variations of these emissions are presented, analysing the data obtained from 1977 to 1982 during the ascending phase of the last solar cycle. The nocturnal variations of the OI 5577 emission and the OH rotational temperature showed a significant semidiurnal oscillation, with the phase of maximum moving from midnight in January to early morning in June. Semiannual variation of the OI 5577 and NaD emissions with the maximum intensities in April/May and October/November were observed. The OH rotational temperature, however, showed an annual variation, maximum in summer and minimum in winter, while no significant seasonal variation was found in the OH emission intensities. Long-term intensity variations are also presented with the solar sunspot numbers and the 10.7 cm flux.     

3D simulations of rotationally-induced line variability from a classical T Tauri star with a misaligned magnetic dipole

We present 3D simulations of rotationally induced line variability arising from complex circumstellar environment of classical T Tauri stars (CTTS) using the results of the 3D magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations of Romanova et al., who considered accretion on to a CTTS with a misaligned dipole magnetic axis with respect to the rotational axis. The density, velocity and temperature structures of the MHD simulations are mapped on to the radiative transfer grid, and corresponding line source function and the observed profiles of neutral hydrogen lines (Hβ, Paβ and Brγ) are computed using the Sobolev escape probability method. We study the dependency of line variability on inclination angles ( i ) and magnetic axis misalignment angles (Θ). We find the line profiles are relatively insensitive to the details of the temperature structure of accretion funnels, but are influenced more by the mean temperature of the flow and its geometry. By comparing our models with the Paβ profiles of 42 CTTS observed by Folha & Emerson, we find that models with a smaller misaligngment angle  (Θ < ∼15°)  are more consistent with the observations which show that majority of Paβ are rather symmetric around the line centre. For a high inclination system with a small dipole misalignment angle  (Θ≈ 15°)  , only one accretion funnel (on the upper hemisphere) is visible to an observer at any given rotational phase. This can cause an anticorrelation of the line equivalent to the width in the blue wing  ( v < 0)  and that in the red wing  ( v > 0)  over half of a rotational period, and a positive correlation over the other half. We find a good overall agreement of the line variability behaviour predicted by our model and those from observations.     

On the Rotational Temperature of AlH in Sunspots

A search has been carried out for the presence of rotational lines of two bands of the (0, 0) and (1, 1) A ¹Π?–?X ¹Σ⁺ system of the AlH molecule in the high resolution Fourier Transform Spectra of sunspots observed at the National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak. Though the presence of the AlH molecule in sunspots was confirmed by Wallace, Hinkle, and Livingston (An Atlas of Sunspot Umbral Spectra in the Visible from 15?000 to 25?000 cm^?1 (3920 to 6664 Å), Tech. Rep. 00-001, National Solar Observatory, Tucson, AZ, 2000), there is no report on the rotational temperature in the literature by identifying AlH molecular lines. The results obtained in this new search using a suitable identification technique are compared with the results reported by Wallace, Hinkle, and Livingston (2000). In view of the fact that the rotational temperatures of the molecules could be used to test photospheric and sunspot models, the effective rotational temperature for the (0, 0) band of the A?–?X system of AlH molecule is estimated by measuring the equivalent widths of well resolved spectral lines and its value justifies the existence of the AlH molecule in sunspots.     

Structure of the atmosphere of the magnetic star hd21699

The temperature distribution with depth in the atmosphere of the magnetic star HD21699 is modelled for each observed rotational phase using Hδ line profiles obtained with a signal to noise ratio S/N = 1000. The observed temperature distributions were averaged within and outside the region of the magnetic spots. It appears that these average temperatures are equal to within the limits of error. This shows that the magnetic field does not affect the physical condition of the matter in the star and does not disturb its thermodynamic state.