Abstract
The vibrational distribution of nitric oxide in the polar ionosphere computed according to the one-dimensional non-steady model of chemical and vibrational kinetics of the upper atmosphere has been compared with experimental data from rocket measurement. Some input parameters of the model have been varied to obtain the least-averaged deviation of the calculated population from experimental one. It is shown that the least deviation of our calculations from experimental measurements depends sufficiently on both the surprisal parameter of the production reaction of metastable atomic nitrogen with molecular oxygen and the profile of atomic oxygen concentration. The best agreement with the MSIS-83 profile was obtained for the value of surprisal parameter corresponding to recent laboratory estimations. The measured depression of level v=2 is obtained in the calculation that uses sufficiently increased concentrations of atomic oxygen. It is pointed out that similar measurements of infrared radiation intensities could be used to estimate the atomic oxygen concentrations during auroral disturbances of the upper atmosphere.Keywords. Atmospheric composition and structure (airglow and aurora); Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; ion chemistry and composition).
Highlights
Nitric oxide molecules have a valent electron and take an active part in the chemistry and vibrational kinetics of the atmosphere
It is determined that the least-averaged deviation of our calculations for both regimes of vibrational deactivation (Eq 5) from experimental measurements depends on both the surprisal parameter k1 and the pro®le of atomic oxygen concentration
The best agreement for MSIS-83 pro®le was obtained for k1 )7±)6 where n 1 and k1 )6±)5 when n 12
Summary
Nitric oxide molecules have a valent electron and take an active part in the chemistry and vibrational kinetics of the atmosphere. In particular the cross sections of the inelastic collision of NO molecule have high magnitudes. The primary sources of vibrationally excited NO in the auroral atmosphere have been discussed by Caledonia and Kennealy (1982), Aladjev and Kirillov (1993) and Kirillov and Aladjev (1995). These are: the chemical reactions of unexcited and metastable atomic nitrogen with molecular oxygen.
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