HR: 1330h
AN: SA12A-1078    [PDF]
TI: Absolute Intensities of OH Meinel Band Emissions in Nightglow
AU: * Cosby, P C
EM: philip.cosby@sri.com
AF: Molecular Physics Lab, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA 94025 United States
AU: Slanger, T G
EM: tom.slanger@sri.com
AF: Molecular Physics Lab, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA 94025 United States
AB: The visible nightglow emission spectrum in the wavelength range of 500 - 1060 nm observed with the ESI spectrograph on the Keck II telescope on Mauna Kea has been calibrated in absolute intensity units (Rayleighs/{\AA}) using observations made of two photometric standard stars on the same nights. Nightglow intensities derived from the two independent standards agree to within 5{%}. In addition, the standard star observations delineate atmospheric water vapor absorptions that affect the intensity measurement of some nightglow emission lines. A total of 70 intensity-calibrated spectra, each covering the full spectral range at a resolution of 7000, are presently available for the periods of March 1, 2000 through March 5, 2000 and October 22, 2000 through October 25, 2000 with a total observing time of 53.3 hours. Seventeen Meinel emission bands appear in each spectrum with sufficient intensity for quantitative measurement, covering upper state vibrational levels v = 3 - 9. A total of 10 - 29 resolved lines at low rotational quantum numbers in the P$_{1}$, P$_{2}$, Q$_{1}$, Q$_{2}$, R$_{1}$, and R$_{2}$ branches are measured in each of the bands. The availability of extended lower state sequences (with constant upper state populations) and multiple branches allows the Meinel band transition moments to be critically evaluated from these data. This work is supported by NSF grant ATM-0139344.
DE: 0310 Airglow and aurora
DE: 0340 Middle atmosphere--composition and chemistry
SC: SPA - Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting