An experimental study of the nightglow OH(8-3) band emission process in the equatorial mesosphere

✍ Scribed by Stella M.L Melo; Hisao Takahashi; Barclay R Clemesha; Dale M Simonich

• Book ID: 104407569
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 738 KB
• Volume: 59
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1364-6826
• DOI: 10.1016/s1364-6826(96)00053-3

✦ Synopsis

Simultaneous rocket measurements of the OH Meinel (8-3) band and 0, Atmospheric (O-O) band emission profiles are used to investigate the OH (c = 8) loss in the equatorial mesosphere due to collisions with 0, and N,. The 0, Atmospheric (O-O) band emission profile is used to obtain the atomic oxygen concentration.

The derived branching ratios, Ao,/A,,.,,, and quenching parameters are found to be about a factor of two smaller than those obtained by McDade et al. (1987). Adopting branching ratios A,,,/Ao.,, from the literature, the best agreement between the emission profiles of oxygen and OH is obtained using the Meinel band transition probabilities of Turnbull and Lowe (1989).