Secondary electron fluxes by precipitating electrons and the excitation of the atmospheric constituents in the daytime at midlatitude

Abstract

For the precipitating electron fluxes with energy 1–40 keV, secondary electron fluxes within the energy range 7–20 eV are calculated. The precipitating electron flux is taken to be 0.3 erg cm −2 sec −1. These calculations indicate that secondary electron fluxes within the energy range 7–16 eV are greater than the corresponding photoelectron fluxes at altitudes 110–150 km. The production rates of O( 1S), O( 1D), N 2 (A 3Σ u +, a 1II g, b 1II u, B 3II g, h 1Σ u +) excited species by these secondary electrons are presented.