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Sounding rocket observation of a hot atomic oxygen geocorona

Authors :
Cotton, Daniel M
Gladstone, G. Randall
Chakrabarti, Supriya
Source :
Journal of Geophysical Research. 98(A12)
Publication Year :
1993
Publisher :
United States: NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI), 1993.

Abstract

A sounding rocket measurement of the ultraviolet, atomic oxygen dayglow reveals an excess of emission compared to standard thermospheric model calculations at exospheric altitudes. We explore two explanations for this discrepancy: a breakdown of the radiative transfer model due to nonlocal thermal equilibrium (non-LTE) conditions above the exobase and a hot atomic oxygen geocorona. In particular, the effects of non-LTE on the 3P2, 1, 0 sublevel populations are modeled, and a hot O component in the upper thermosphere and lower exosphere is added to investigate the effects on the modeled emissions. For both cases, the data are reanalyzed and compared with the results using a standard LTE model. A hot O geocorona having a peak density of 10(exp 6)/cc at 550 km and a temperature of 4000 K is consistent with the data and appears to be the most reasonable explanation of the high-altitude enhanced emissions observed in the data.

Subjects

Subjects :
Geophysics

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
01480227
Volume :
98
Issue :
A12
Database :
NASA Technical Reports
Journal :
Journal of Geophysical Research
Notes :
NAG5-694, , NAG5-646, , NAG5-695
Publication Type :
Report
Accession number :
edsnas.19950046685
Document Type :
Report