Radiative transfer of atomic and molecular resonant emissions in the upper atmospheres. II. The 9.6 micrometer emission of atmospheric ozone.

Abstract

The band radiance of the 9.6μm emission of the atmospheric ozone was calculated in the presence of various excitation sources in the altitude range between 40 and 120km. The primary excitation processes considered are: (i) the thermal molecular collisions, (ii) the chemical reactions to form O3 in vibrationally excited levels, (iii) the resonance fluorescence of the solar radiation and (iv) the resonance fluorescence of the earth shine. By comparing the numerical result with some photometric results from sounding rocket experiments it was found that, although the thermal excitation manifests only in the region of the atmosphere below about 70km, the radiance above that level is still governed by the thermal radiation transferred from lower levels due to the multiple scattering. The excitation associated with the three-body reaction, O+O2+M=O3≠+M, is considerable above the 70km level; however, its contribution to the final radiance is relatively smalll compared with the thermal origin.