The O2 Herzberg I bands in the equatorial nightglow

✍ Scribed by Stella M.L. Melo; Hisao Takahashi; Barclay R. Clemesha; Jacek Stegman

• Book ID: 104407561
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 858 KB
• Volume: 59
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1364-6826
• DOI: 10.1016/s1364-6826(96)00038-7

✦ Synopsis

Simultaneous measurements

of the nightglow profiles of the 0, Herzberg I bands, the 0, Atmospheric (O-O) band and the atomic oxygen green line, carried out at Alclntara (2.3%; 44.4"W), are presented and discussed. This is the first measurement of the vertical profile of the Herzberg I band to be carried out at equatorial latitudes. The atomic oxygen concentration derived from the 0, Atmospheric (O-0) band emission profile is used to test a photochemical scheme to explain the measured 0, (A%+X%J nightglow emission based on atomic oxygen recombination.

The kinetic analysis is carried out assuming the emission ratio Herzberg I: Herzberg II = 5:1, 10:1 and the extreme case where Herzberg II brightness = 0. For all three cases studied, the quenching rates required to explain the measurements are higher than the values derived from previous airglow measurements.