Daytime high‐latitude rocket observations of the NO γ, δ, and ε bands

Observations of the Earth's thermospheric dayglow were obtained on August 10, 1982, from Poker Flat, Alaska, using a rocket-borne spectrometer covering the wavelength range 1950 to 2170 A. This part of the spectrum is dominated by emissions from the gamma, delta and epsilon bands of nitric oxide. Column densities of nitric oxide were determined by fitting these bands with synthetic spectra. At low altitudes the (1, 0) and (2, 0) gamma bands exhibit large self-absorption. Three bands of the weak NO epsilon system, (0, 1), (0, 2), and (0, 3) were positively identified and used to determine NO densities between 105 and 125 km. The fluorescence efficiency of the NO delta bands was found to be ∼0.25 based on the fit to synthetic spectra. A one-dimensional diffusive photochemical model of the earth's thermosphere was used for comparison with the rocket observations. The data was reproduced by the model using a 10 keV characteristic energy for the primary aurora electrons with a constant flux of 0.5 ergs cm−2 s−1. The production yield of N(²D) from the dissociation of N2 by electron impact used in this calculation was 0.6. An analysis was performed to show the sensitivity of the conclusions to the various model parameters.

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