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Notes: Abstract This study compares the Isis II satellite measurements of the electron density and temperature, the integral airglow intensity and volume emission rate at 630 nm in the SAR arc region, observed at dusk on 4 August, 1972, in the Southern Hemisphere, during the main phase of the geomagnetic storm. The model results were obtained using the time dependent one-dimensional mathematical model of the Earth’s ionosphere and plasmasphere (the IZMIRAN model). The major enhancement to the IZMIRAN model developed in this study to explain the two component 630 nm emission observed is the analytical yield spectrum approach to calculate the fluxes of precipitating electrons and the additional production rates of N+2, O+2, O+(4S), O+(2D), O−(2P), and O+(2P) ions, and O(1D) in the SAR arc regions in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In order to bring the measured and modelled electron temperatures into agreement, the additional heating electron rate of 1.05 eV cm−3 s−1 was added in the energy balance equation of electrons at altitudes above 5000 km during the main phase of the geomagnetic storm. This additional heating electron rate determines the thermally excited 630 nm emission observed. The IZMIRAN model calculates a 630 nm integral intensity above 350 km of 4.1 kR and a total 630 nm integral intensity of 8.1 kR, values which are slightly lower compared to the observed 4.7 kR and 10.6 kR. We conclude that the 630 nm emission observed can be explained considering both the soft energy electron excited component and the thermally excited component. It is found that the inclusion of N2(v 〉 0) and O2(v 〉 0) in the calculations of the O+(4S) loss rate improves the agreement between the calculated Ne and the data on 4 August, 1972. The N2(v 〉 0) and O2(v 〉 0) effects are enough to explain the electron density depression in the SAR arc F-region and above F2 peak altitude. Our calculations show that the increase in the O+ + N2 rate factor due to the vibrationally excited nitrogen produces the 5–19% reductions in the calculated quiet daytime peak density and the 16–24% decrease in NmF2 in the SAR arc region. The increase in the O+ + N2 loss rate due to vibrationally excited O2 produces the 7–26% decrease in the calculated quiet daytime peak density and the 12–26% decrease in NmF2 in the SAR arc region. We evaluated the role of the electron cooling rates by low-lying electronic excitation of O2(a1δg) and O2(b1σg+), and rotational excitation of O2, and found that the effect of these cooling rates on Te can be considered negligible during the quiet and geomagnetic storm period 3–4 August, 1972. The energy exchange between electron and ion gases, the cooling rate in collisions of O(3P) with thermal electrons with excitation of O(1D), and the electron cooling rates by vibrational excitation of O2 and N2 are the largest cooling rates above 200 km in the SAR arc region on 4 August, 1972. The enhanced IZMIRAN model calculates also number densities of N2(B3πg+), N2(C3πu), and N2(A3σu+) at several vibrational levels, O(1S), and the volume emission rate and integral intensity at 557.7 nm in the region between 120 and 1000 km. We found from the model that the integral integral intensity at 557.7 nm is much less than the integral intensity at 630 nm.

Notes: Abstract The atomic oxygen fine structure cooling rate of thermal electrons based on new effective collision strengths for electron impact excitation of the ground-state 3P fine-structure levels in atomic oxygen have been fitted to an analytical expression which is available to the researcher for quick reference and accurate computer modeling with a minimum of calculations. We found that at the F region altitudes of the ionosphere the new cooling rate is much less than the currently used fine structure cooling rates (up to a factor of 2–4), and this cooling rate is not the dominant electron cooling process in the F region of the ionosphere at middle latitudes.

Notes: Abstract We present a comparison of the electron density and temperature behaviour in the ionosphere and plasmasphere measured by the Millstone Hill incoherent-scatter radar and the instruments on board of the EXOS-D satellite with numerical model calculations from a time-dependent mathematical model of the Earth’s ionosphere and plasmasphere during the geomagnetically quiet and storm period on 20/30 January, 1993. We have evaluated the value of the additional heating rate that should be added to the normal photoelectron heating in the electron energy equation in the daytime plasmasphere region above 5000 km along the magnetic field line to explain the high electron temperature measured by the instruments on board of the EXOS-D satellite within the Millstone Hill magnetic field flux tube in the Northern Hemisphere. The additional heating brings the measured and modelled electron temperatures into agreement in the plasmasphere and into very large disagreement in the ionosphere if the classical electron heat flux along magnetic field line is used in the model. A new approach, based on a new effective electron thermal conductivity coefficient along the magnetic field line, is presented to model the electron temperature in the ionosphere and plasmasphere. This new approach leads to a heat flux which is less than that given by the classical Spitzer-Harm theory. The evaluated additional heating of electrons in the plasmasphere and the decrease of the thermal conductivity in the topside ionosphere and the greater part of the plasmasphere found for the first time here allow the model to accurately reproduce the electron temperatures observed by the instruments on board the EXOS-D satellite in the plasmasphere and the Millstone Hill incoherent-scatter radar in the ionosphere. The effects of the daytime additional plasmaspheric heating of electrons on the electron temperature and density are small at the F-region altitudes if the modified electron heat flux is used. The deviations from the Boltzmann distribution for the first five vibrational levels of N2(v) and O2(v) were calculated. The present study suggests that these deviations are not significant at the first vibrational levels of N2 and O2 and the second level of O2, and the calculated distributions of N2(v) and O2(v) are highly non-Boltzmann at vibrational levels v 〉 2. The resulting effect of N2(v 〉 0) and O2(v 〉 0) on NmF2 is the decrease of the calculated daytime NmF2 up to a factor of 1.5. The modelled electron temperature is very sensitive to the electron density, and this decrease in electron density results in the increase of the calculated daytime electron temperature up to about 580 K at the F2 peak altitude giving closer agreement between the measured and modelled electron temperatures. Both the daytime and night-time densities are not reproduced by the model without N2(v 〉 0) and O2(v 〉 0), and inclusion of vibrationally excited N2 and O2 brings the model and data into better agreement.

Notes: Abstract Theoretical and experimental aspects of the production, transformation, diffusion and loss of N2 in the upper atmosphere are considered. The N2-CO2 near-resonant system in theD andE regions is taken into account. We describe our understanding of the methods necessary to find the vibrational populations of N2 and CO2 (asymmetric mode of CO2). The calculations of the vibrational temperatures in theD, E, andF regions for the mid-latitude ionosphere and an aurora are presented. The connection between the excited species and the 4.26-μm radiation intensities is considered. The models for the rate coefficient of the reaction of O+ with N2 and the electron density decrease resulting from N2 in the F region are discussed.

Notes: Abstract In this paper we present the results of a study of the electron cooling rate, the production rates of vibrationally excited N2(v), and the production frequency of the N2 vibrational quanta arising from the collisions of electrons with unexcited N2(0) and vibrationally excited N2(1) molecules as functions of the electron temperature. The electron energy transfer rates for vibrational excitation of N2 have been calculated and fit to analytical expressions by use of the revised vibrationally excited N2 cross sections. These new analytical expressions are available to the researcher for quick reference and accurate computer modeling with a minimum of calculations.

Notes: Abstract This study compares the observed behavior of the F region ionosphere over Millstone Hill with calculations from the IZMIRAN model for solar minimum for the geomagnetically quiet period 23–25 June 1986, when anomalously low values of hmF2(〈200 km) were observed. We found that these low values of hmF2 (seen as a G condition on ionograms) exist in the ionosphere due to a decrease of production rates of oxygen ions resulting from low values of atomic oxygen density. Results show that determination of a G condition using incoherent scatter radar data is sensitive both to the true concentration of O+ relative to the molecular ions, and to the ion composition model assumed in the data reduction process. The increase in the O+ + N2 loss rate due to vibrationally excited N2 produces a reduction in NmF2 of typically 5–10%, but as large as 15%, bringing the model and data into better agreement. The effect of vibrationally excited NO+ ions on electron densities is negligible.

Notes: Abstract In this paper we present the results of a study of the effect of vibrationally excited oxygen, O*2, and nitrogen, N*2, on the electron density, Ne, and the electron temperature, Te, in the D and E regions. The sources of O*2 are O-atom recombination, the photodissociation of O3, and the reaction of O3 with O at D region altitudes. The first calculations of O*2(j) number densities, Nj, are obtained by solving continuity equations for the models of harmonic and anharmonic oscillator energy levels, j=1-22. It is found that day time values of Nj are less than nighttime values. We also show that the photoionization of O*2 (j\geq11) by L〈alpha〉-radiation has no influence on the D region Ne. In the nighttime D region the photoionization O*2 (j\geq11) by scattered L〈alpha〉-radiation can be a new source of O+2. We show that the N*2 and O*2 de-excitation effect on the electron temperature is small in the E region of the ionosphere and cannot explain experimentally observed higher electron temperatures.

Notes: Abstract Millstone Hill ionospheric storm time measurements of the electron density and temperature during the ionospheric storms (15-16 June 1965; 29–30 September 1969 and 17–18 August 1970) are compared with model results. The model of the Earth’s ionosphere and plasmasphere includes interhemispheric coupling, the H+, O+(4S), O+(2D), O+(2P), NO+, O+2 and N+2 ions, electrons, photoelectrons, the electron and ion temperature, vibrationally excited N2 and the components of thermospheric wind. In order to model the electron temperature at the time of the 16 June 1965 negative storm, the heating rate of the electron gas by photoelectrons in the energy balance equation was multiplied by the factors 5–30 at he altitude above 700 km for the period 4.50-12.00 LT, 16 June 1965. The [O]/[N2] MSIS-86 decrease and vibrationally excited N2 effects are enough to account for the electron density depressions at Millstone Hill during the three storms. The factor of 2 (for 27–30 September 1969 magnetic storm) and the & actor 2.7 (for 16–18 August 1970 magnetic storm) reduction in the daytime peak density due to enhanced vibrationally excited N2 is brought about by the increase in the O++N2 rate factor.

Notes: Abstract Measurements of F-region electron density and temperature at Millstone Hill are compared with results from the IZMIRAN time-dependent mathematical model of the Earth’s ionosphere and plasmasphere during the periods 16–23 March and 6–12 April 1990. Each of these two periods included geomagnetically quiet intervals followed by major storms. Satisfactory agreement between the model and the data is obtained during the quiet intervals, provided that the recombination rate of O+(4S) ions was decreased by a factor of 1.5 at all altitudes during the nighttime periods 17–18 March, 19–20 March, 6–8 April and 8–9 April in order to increase the NmF2 at night better to match observations. Good model/data agreement is also obtained during the storm periods when vibrationally excited N2 brings about factor-of-2-4 reductions in daytime NmF2. Model calculations are carried out using different expressions for the O+ – O collision frequency for momentum transfer, and the best agreement between the electron-density measurements and the model results is obtained when the CEDAR interim standard formula for the O+ – O collision frequency is used. Deviations from the Boltzmann distribution for the first five vibrational levels of NI were calculated. The calculated distribution is highly non-Boltzmann at vibrational levels j 〉 2, and the Boltzmann distribution assumption results in the increase of 10–30% in calculated NmF2 during the storm-time periods. During the March storm at solar maximum the model results obtained using the EUVAC solar flux model agree a little better with the observations in comparison with the EUV94 solar flux model. For the April storm period of moderate solar activity the EUV94X model results agree better with the observations in comparison to the EUVAC model.

Notes: Abstract In this work I present the results of a study of the electron cooling rate, the production rates of vibrationally excited O2, and the production frequency of the O2 vibrational quanta arising from the collisions of electrons with O2 molecules as functions of the electron temperature. The electron energy transfer and cooling rates by vibrational excitation of O2 have been calculated and fitted to analytical expressions by use of the revised vibrationally excited O2 cross sections. These new analytical expressions are available to the researcher for quick reference and accurate computer modeling with a minimum of calculations. It is also shown that the currently accepted rate of electron energy loss associated with rotational transitions in O2 must be decreased by a factor of 13.