HR: 1340h
AN: SA43A-1085    [Abstracts]
TI: Comparing the Measured N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) Band Brightness in the Dayglow With Model Calculations: Investigating the Importance of Cascading as a Source of Excitation.
AU: * Aksnes, A
EM: aaksnes@mail.ucf.edu
AF: Florida Space Institute, MS-FSI, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 United States
AU: Eastes, R
EM: reastes@mail.ucf.edu
AF: Florida Space Institute, MS-FSI, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 United States
AU: Budzien, S
EM: budzien@nrl.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7607, Washington, DC 20375-5352 United States
AU: Dymond, K
EM: kenneth.dymond@nrl.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7607, Washington, DC 20375-5352 United States
AU: Bailey, S
EM: Scott.Bailey@gi.alaska.edu
AF: Geophysical Institute and Department of Physics, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775 United States
AU: Jones, A
EM: arjones@usc.edu
AF: Space Sciences Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1341 United States
AB: Models to calculate the daytime airglow emissions from the N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) bands usually rely solely on direct excitation, while radiative and collisional cascading between the singlet states are neglected. This can yield a significant underestimation of the total LBH brightness. In this study, we examine the importance of cascading by modeling the LBH brightness using different approaches and then comparing with observations by the High resolution Ionospheric and Thermospheric Spectrograph (HITS) aboard the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS). HITS data were collected between 1999 and 2002. To improve the LBH model calculations, we use measurements of the solar soft X-ray flux by the Solar X-ray Photometer (SXP) aboard the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE) satellite, and the Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Monitor (SEM) from the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). From measurements of the UV airglow (including the LBH bands), the Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) instrument on the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) spacecraft provides composition and temperature profiles of the Mesosphere and Lower-Thermosphere Ionosphere (MLTI) region, and determines energy inputs from the Sun. The various parameters extracted from GUVI observations depend on the LBH band analysis, which is highly complex and associated with significant error bars. Therefore, the results presented in this study should be applicable for the GUVI/TIMED observations.
DE: 0310 Airglow and aurora
DE: 0355 Thermosphere: composition and chemistry
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005