Title: Auroral N<sub>2</sub> vibrational excitation and the electron density trough
Abstract: Through various processes molecular nitrogen within the nocturnal auroral oval is vibrationally excited, substantially increasing the rate at which O + is lost via the reaction O + + N * 2 → NO + + N. Owing to the action of thermospheric winds and diffusion, N * 2 does not remain at its point of origin but is transported to regions outside the auroral oval where it can act to substantially reduce the F‐region electron density. For an equatorward transport speed of 100 m sec −1 , N * 2 can travel 3° to 4° of latitude before quenching with atomic oxygen substantially reduces the N * 2 density. This process may contribute significantly to the formation of the mid‐latitude F‐region electron density trough.
Publication Year: 1975
Publication Date: 1975-06-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 27
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