The mechanisms of the production of electronically excited and vibrationally excited N2 molecules at the altitudes of the middle atmosphere of the Earth during precipitations of high-energetic electrons and protons are considered. The calculations show effective quenching of triplet and singlet electronically excited N2 states. The quenching leads to significant decrease in the emission of molecular nitrogen bands at the altitudes of the Earth’s middle atmosphere. The study of vibrational populations N2(X,v&gt;0) during precipitations of high-energetic particles has shown different principal mechanisms in the N2(X,v&gt;0) excitation. Firstly, the excitation by secondary electrons is principal for all considered vibrational levels. Secondly, it is obtained that intramolecular electron energy transfer process in N2(A,v=0-5)+N2 collisions dominates in vibrational excitation of high vibrational levels X,v=20-30. Our calculations have shown that the contributions of cascades from electronically excited states in vibrational excitation of the ground state of N2 are significant. The vibrational excitation is important in infrared radiational balance of the middle atmosphere during disturbances by precipitations of high-energetic particles. The energies of vibrational quanta of N2 are in good energetic resonance with vibrational quanta of minor atmospheric components. Therefore there is the influence of N2 vibrational kinetics on vibrational excitation of minor atmospheric gases in the Earth’s atmosphere and on infrared emissions of the gases.

Electronic and vibrational kinetics of molecular nitrogen in the Earth's middle atmosphere during precipitations of high-energetic particles

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.