Prediction of electron-driven VUV emission in the earth’s atmosphere

Abstract

Electron impact in the upper atmosphere produces excited states of atoms and molecules, which can radiatively decay to produce characteristic photo emission features in both aurora and dayglow. Statistical equilibrium calculations which incorporate electron cross sections, electron energy spectra, radiative transitions, predissociation and quenching, can predict both the populations of the excited states and the associated photon emission spectra. Results from such a model are used here to predict particular cases of rocket and satellite measurements of N 2 VUV auroral and dayglow emissions. Although some approximations are required due to the absence of basic atomic data, reasonable agreement is found for most predicted emissions, with some exceptions being attributable to reabsorption in the atmosphere.