HR: 1330h
AN: SA23A-15    [Abstracts]
TI: Comparison of Observed Lyman-Birge-Hopfield Band Emissions with Model Calculations
AU: * Eastes, R W
EM: reastes@mail.ucf.edu
AF: Florida Space Institute, MS-FSI, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 United States
AU: Murray, D J
AF: Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 United States
AU: Budzien, S A
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7607, Washington, DC 20375 United States
AU: Dymond, K F
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7607, Washington, DC 20375 United States
AB: Comparisons of N₂ Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) band observations from the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS) with model calculations provide reasonable agreement with model calculations. These comparisons also provide independently verifiable test of assumptions and rates used in the model. Fits to these high spectral resolution (~0.2 nm) observations give a v=1 to v=5 band ratio of 1.0:0.88± 0.03 at 200 km, the tangent altitude of the best measurements previously reported. This ratio agrees with the earlier observations, and it is higher than the calculated ratio. Improvements in the LBH model calculations (e.g., inclusion of more recent data for transition rates during collisions) and in the calculation of model fits to the data give significantly more accurate results than were previously available. In order for calculations to match the observations, contributions from a' and w state vibrational energy levels above the a state predissociation limit of v=6 are required. While it is well known that the a state predissociates above v=6, the amount of predissociation in the a' and w states is uncertain. These results suggest that the predissociation threshold for the a' and w states is higher than the a state.
DE: 0310 Airglow and aurora
DE: 0355 Thermosphere--composition and chemistry
DE: 0358 Thermosphere--energy deposition
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly