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N( 2 P) in the dayglow: Measurement and theory
Author(s) -
Torr Marsha R.,
Torr D. G.,
Richards P. G.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/92gl02180
Subject(s) - thermosphere , physics , atmospheric sciences , daytime , observatory , airglow , altitude (triangle) , radiative transfer , photodissociation , atomic physics , xenon , astrophysics , ionosphere , astronomy , optics , photochemistry , chemistry , geometry , mathematics
During the ATLAS‐1 mission, the first dayglow altitude profiles were obtained of the N( 2 P) emission at 3466 Å. These observations were made in the sunlit thermosphere using the Imaging Spectrometric Observatory. As all previous work on this emission has been done under auroral conditions, this study represents the first examination of the photochemical sources and sinks of N( 2 P) in the normal daytime thermosphere, with comparison with measurements. We find that the observations are explained by a model in which the major source is photodissociation of N 2 , and quenching by O is the principal low‐altitude loss process, with radiative decay to N( 2 D) dominating above 200 km. As the dominant loss processes are likely to result in the production of N( 2 D), N( 2 P) could be a moderate source of N( 2 D) and may be a factor to be taken into consideration in modeling NO.