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Laboratory Measurements of Ion Chemistry in a Simulated Disturbed Ionosphere
Author(s) -
Hirsh M. N.,
Eisner P. N.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1029/rs007i001p00125
Subject(s) - ion , irradiation , ionic bonding , torr , atomic physics , electron , analytical chemistry (journal) , recombination , kinetic energy , chemistry , ionosphere , mass spectrometry , physics , nuclear physics , organic chemistry , astronomy , biochemistry , chromatography , quantum mechanics , gene , thermodynamics
We present experimental results from a partial simulation of the disturbed nighttime ionosphere at 300°K. N 2 :O 2 mixtures at pressures from 0.1 to 30 torr are contained in a 700‐liter chamber and irradiated by a diffuse beam of megavolt electrons. In dry gas, only the ions O 2 − , O 2 + , and NO + are seen with the mass spectrometer at the onset of irradiation. As the electron bombardment continues, these ions interact with beam‐generated neutral species to produce a spectrum eventually dominated by NO + , NO 2 − , and NO 3 − . From measurements of O 2 + production and loss rates as a function of irradiation time, the dominant NO production mechanism is shown to be O 2 + + N 2 → NO + + NO with a rate constant ≤1×10 −16 cm 3 /sec, followed by ionic recombination to neutralize the NO + . We measure the following thermal‐energy two‐body ionic recombination coefficients, in units of 10 −8 cm 3 /sec: α(NO + , NO − 3 ) = (3.4±1.2); α(NO + , NO − 2 ) = (17.5±6.0); and α(O 2 + , O 2 − ) ≤ (14±5). With water added to the gas, the sequence H 3 O + (H 2 O) n ( n = 0, 1, 2, 3) becomes important in the positive‐ion spectrum.