Abstract
The plasma lines observed by the French incoherent scatter radar during the period 1973–1974 are studied. Two methods are used to determine the steady-state photoelectron flux from plasma line measurements; one using a Maxwellian model for the photoelectron distribution and the other by solving (numerically) the differential equation that is satisfied by the distribution. The direct numerical calculation of the photoelectron flux is used to obtain theoretical kT p values which are compared with those from the plasma line observation. The comparison leads to the conclusion that there must be a sharp increase of the photoelectron flux when the energy decreases below 4 ∼ 5 eV. This result, in agreement with rocket and satellite measurements of the low energy photoelectron flux, is used to bear a new insight to the problem of the electron-gas heat balance: the problem is reduced to the need of an additional photoelectron flux production below 5 eV.
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