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Highly rotationally excited nitric oxide in the terrestrial thermosphere
Author(s) -
Sharma R. D.,
Sun Y.,
Dalgarno A.
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 - 10.1029/93gl02486
Subject(s) - thermosphere , excited state , nitric oxide , atomic physics , excitation , space shuttle , molecule , thermal , astrobiology , materials science , physics , chemistry , ionosphere , meteorology , geophysics , astronomy , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Reaction of fast non‐thermal N( 4 S) atoms with O 2 molecules is shown to produce NO with large rotational and vibrational excitation. It is suggested that the process is responsible for the highly rotationally excited nitric oxide detected by the space shuttle experiment CIRRIS IA.