An indirect mechanism for the production of O(1S) in the aurora |
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Authors: | B.H. Solheim E.J. Llewellyn |
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Affiliation: | Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N OWO, Canada |
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Abstract: | Recent laboratory measurements of the deactivation rate constants for O(1S) have suggested that the dominant production mechanism for the green line in the nightglow is a two-step process. A similar mechanism involving energy transfer from an excited state of molecular oxygen is considered as a potential source of the OI (5577 Å) emission in the aurora. It is shown that the mechanism, , is consistent with auroral observations; the intermediate excited state has been tentatively identified as the O2(c1∑?u) state. For the proposed energy transfer mechanism to be the primary source of the auroral green line, the peak electron impact cross-section for O21 production must be approximately 2 × 10?17 cm2. |
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