| 11. |
- Dawkins, E. C. M., et al.
(författare)
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First global observations of the mesospheric potassium layer
- 2014
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Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 41:15, s. 5653-5661
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metal species, produced by meteoric ablation, act as useful tracers of upper atmosphere dynamics and chemistry. Of these meteoric metals, K is an enigma: at extratropical latitudes, limited available lidar data show that the K layer displays a semiannual seasonal variability, rather than the annual pattern seen in other metals such as Na and Fe. Here we present the first near-global K retrieval, where K atom number density profiles are derived from dayglow measurements made by the Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System spectrometer on board the Odin satellite. This robust retrieval produces density profiles with typical layer peak errors of 15% and a 2km vertical grid resolution. We demonstrate that these retrieved profiles compare well with available lidar data and show for the first time that the unusual semiannual behavior is near-global in extent. This new data set has wider applications for improving understanding of the K chemistry and of related upper atmosphere processes.
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| 12. |
- Newnham, D. A., et al.
(författare)
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Observations and Modeling of Increased Nitric Oxide in the Antarctic Polar Middle Atmosphere Associated With Geomagnetic Storm-Driven Energetic Electron Precipitation
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics. - 2169-9380 .- 2169-9402. ; 123:7, s. 6009-6025
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nitric oxide (NO) produced in the polar middle and upper atmosphere by energetic particle precipitation depletes ozone in the mesosphere and, following vertical transport in the winter polar vortex, in the stratosphere. Medium-energy electron (MEE) ionization by 30-1,000 keV electrons during geomagnetic storms may have a significant role in mesospheric NO production. However, questions remain about the relative importance of direct NO production by MEE at altitudes similar to 60-90 km versus indirect NO originating from auroral ionization above 90 km. We investigate potential drivers of NO variability in the southern-hemisphere mesosphere and lower thermosphere during 2013-2014. Contrasting geomagnetic activity occurred during the two austral winters, with more numerous moderate storms in the 2013 winter. Ground-based millimeter-wave observations of NO from Halley, Antarctica, are compared with measurements by the Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment (SOFIE) spaceborne spectrometer. NO partial columns over the altitude range 65-140 km from the two observational data sets show large day-to-day variability and significant disagreement, with Halley values on average 49% higher than the corresponding SOFIE data. SOFIE NO number densities, zonally averaged over geomagnetic latitudes -59 degrees to -65 degrees, are up to 3 x 10(8)/cm(3) higher in the winter of 2013 compared to 2014. Comparisons with a new version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, which includes detailed D-region ion chemistry (WACCM-SIC) and MEE ionization rates, show that the model underestimates NO in the winter lower mesosphere whereas thermospheric abundances are too high. This indicates the need to further improve and verify WACCM-SIC with respect to MEE ionization, thermospheric NO chemistry, and vertical transport.
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| 13. |
- Baudry, A., et al.
(författare)
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ATOMIUM: Probing the inner wind of evolved O-rich stars with new, highly excited H2O and OH lines
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 674
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Water (H2O) and the hydroxyl radical (OH) are major constituents of the envelope of O-rich late-type stars. Transitions involving energy levels that are rotationally or vibrationally highly excited (energies & GSIM;4000 K) have been observed in both H2O and OH. These and more recently discovered transitions can now be observed at a high sensitivity and angular resolution in the inner wind close to the stellar photosphere with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Aims. Our goals are: (1) to identify and map the emission and absorption of H2O in several vibrational states, and of OH in Lambda-doubling transitions with similar excitation energies; and (2) to determine the physical conditions and kinematics in gas layers close to the extended atmosphere in a sample of asymptotic giant branch stars (AGBs) and red supergiants (RSGs). Methods. Spectra and maps of H2O and OH lines observed in a 27 GHz aggregated bandwidth and with an angular resolution of similar to 0."02-1."0 were obtained at two epochs with the main ALMA array. Additional observations with the Atacama Compact Array (ACA) were used to check for time variability of water transitions. Radiative transfer models of H2O were revisited to characterize masing conditions. Up-to-date chemical models were used for comparison with the observed OH/H2O abundance ratio. Results. Ten rotational transitions of H2O with excitation energies similar to 4000-9000 K were observed in vibrational states up to (& upsilon;(1),& upsilon;(2),& upsilon;(3)) = (0,1,1). All but one are new detections in space, and from these we have derived accurate rest frequencies. Hyperfine split Lambda-doubling transitions in & upsilon; = 0, J = 27/2 and 29/2 levels of the (2)& pi;(3/2) state, as well as J = 33/2 and 35/2 of the (2)& pi;(1/2) state of OH with excitation energies of similar to 4780-8900 K were also observed. Four of these transitions are new detections in space. Combining our measurements with earlier observations of OH, the & upsilon; = 0 and & upsilon; = 1 Lambda-doubling frequencies have been improved. Our H2O maps show compact emission toward the central star and extensions up to twelve stellar radii or more. The 268.149 GHz emission line of water in the & upsilon;(2) = 2 state is time variable, tends to be masing with dominant radiative pumping, and is widely excited in AGBs and RSGs. The widespread but weaker 262.898 GHz water line in the & upsilon;(2) = 1 state also shows signs of maser emission. The OH emission is weak and quasithermally excited. Emission and absorption features of H2O and OH reveal an infall of matter and complex kinematics influenced by binarity. From the OH and H2O column densities derived with nonmasing transitions in a few sources, we obtain OH/H2O abundance ratios of similar to(0.7-2.8) x 10(-2).
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Gumbel, Jörg, et al.
(författare)
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Retrieval of global mesospheric sodium densities from the Odin satellite
- 2007
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Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 34:L04813
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Satellite observations of the Na D dayglow at 589 nm provide a global database for the climatology of the mesospheric sodium layer. More than five years of Na D limb observations are available from the Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System onboard the Odin satellite. We describe a robust retrieval method that provides individual sodium density profiles with a typical accuracy of 20% and altitude resolution of 2 km. Retrieved column abundances and density profiles are validated against sodium resonance lidar measurements at mid- latitudes. Examples of the seasonal and latitudinal variation of the sodium layer illustrate Odin's potential for climatological studies of mesospheric metals.
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| 16. |
- Plane, John M. C., et al.
(författare)
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A combined rocket-borne and ground-based study of the sodium layer and charged dust in the upper mesosphere
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1364-6826 .- 1879-1824. ; 118, s. 151-160
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Hotel Payload 2 rocket was launched on January 31st 2008 at 20.14 LT from the Andoya Rocket Range in northern Norway (69.31 degrees N, 16.01 degrees E). Measurements in the 75-105 km region of atomic O, negatively-charged dust, positive ions and electrons with a suite of instruments on the payload were complemented by lidar measurements of atomic Na and temperature from the nearby ALOMAR observatory. The payload passed within 2.58 km of the lidar at an altitude of 90 km. A series of coupled models is used to explore the observations, leading to two significant conclusions. First, the atomic Na layer and the vertical profiles of negatively-charged dust (assumed to be meteoric smoke particles), electrons and positive ions, can be modelled using a self-consistent meteoric input flux. Second, electronic structure calculations and Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Markus theory are used to show that even small Fe-Mg-silicates are able to attach electrons rapidly and form stable negatively-charged particles, compared with electron attachment to O-2 and O-3. This explains the substantial electron depletion between 80 and 90 km, where the presence of atomic O at concentrations in excess of 10(10) cm(-3) prevents the formation of stable negative ions.
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| 17. |
- Slanger, Tom G., et al.
(författare)
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Variability of the mesospheric nightglow sodium D2/D1 ratio
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 110:23, s. 1-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Measurements of the intensity ratio of the 589.0/589.6 nm sodium doublet in the terrestrial nightglow over an 8-year period, involving >300 separate determinations, have established that it is variable, the value RD = I(D2)/I(D1) lying between 1.2 and 1.8. Sky spectra from the Keck I telescope with the High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) échelle spectrograph and the Keck II telescope with the Échellette Spectrograph and Imager (ESI) échelle spectrograph were used in this analysis. The result contrasts with the accepted view, from earlier measurements at midlatitude, that the ratio is 2.0, as expected on statistical grounds. The lack of dependence of the ratio on viewing elevation angle, and hence Na slant column, allows self-absorption to be ruled out as a cause of the variability. The data suggest a semiannual oscillation in the ratio, maximum at the equinoxes and minimum at the solstices. Airborne measurements over the North Atlantic (40°-50°N) in 2002 show an even larger range in the nightglow ratio and no correlation with the upper mesospheric temperature determined from the OH 6-2 bands. A laboratory study confirms that the ratio does not depend on temperature; however, it is shown to be sensitive to the [O]/[O2] ratio. It is therefore postulated that the variable ratio arises from a competition between O reacting with NaO(A3∑+), produced from the reaction of Na with O3, to yield D-line emission with a D2/D1 ratio greater than about 2.0, and quenching by O2 to produce NaO(X2II), possibly with vibrational excitation, which then reacts with O to produce emission with a ratio of less than 1.3. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.
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| 18. |
- Douglas, K. M., et al.
(författare)
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Experimental study of the removal of excited state phosphorus atoms by H2O and H-2: implications for the formation of PO in stellar winds
- 2022
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 515:1, s. 99-109
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The reactions of the low-lying metastable states of atomic phosphorus, P(D-2) and P(P-2), with H2O and H-2 were studied by the pulsed laser photolysis at 248 nm of PCl3, combined with laser-induced fluorescence detection of P(D-2), P(P-2), and PO. Rate coefficients between 291 and 740 K were measured, along with a yield for the production of PO from P(D-2 or P-2) + H2O of (35 +/- 15) %. H-2 reacts with both excited P states relatively efficiently; physical (i.e. collisional) quenching, rather than chemical reaction to produced PH + H, is shown to be the more likely pathway. A comprehensive phosphorus chemistry network is then developed using a combination of electronic structure theory calculations and a Master Equation treatment of reactions taking place over complex potential energy surfaces. The resulting model shows that at the high temperatures within two stellar radii of a MIRA variable AGB star in oxygen-rich conditions, collisional excitation of ground-state P(S-4) to P(D-2), followed by reaction with H2O, is a significant pathway for producing PO (in addition to the reaction between P(S-4) and OH). The model also demonstrates that the PN fractional abundance in a steady (non-pulsating) outflow is underpredicted by about 2 orders of magnitude. However, under shocked conditions where sufficient thermal dissociation of N-2 occurs at temperatures above 4000 K, the resulting N atoms convert a substantial fraction of PO into PN.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Rapp, Markus, et al.
(författare)
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In situ observations of meteor smoke particles (MSP) during the Geminids 2010: contraints on MSP size, work function and composition
- 2012
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Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 30:12, s. 1611-1622
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present in situ observations of meteoric smoke particles (MSP) obtained during three sounding rocket flights in December 2010 in the frame of the final campaign of the Norwegian-German ECOMA project (ECOMA = Existence and Charge state Of meteoric smoke particles in the Middle Atmosphere). The flights were conducted before, at the maximum activity, and after the decline of the Geminids which is one of the major meteor showers over the year. Measurements with the ECOMA particle detector yield both profiles of naturally charged particles (Faraday cup measurement) as well as profiles of photoelectrons emitted by the MSPs due to their irradiation by photons of a xenon-flash lamp. The column density of negatively charged MSPs decreased steadily from flight to flight which is in agreement with a corresponding decrease of the sporadic meteor flux recorded during the same period. This implies that the sporadic meteors are a major source of MSPs while the additional influx due to the shower meteors apparently did not play any significant role. Surprisingly, the profiles of photoelectrons are only partly compatible with this observation: while the photoelectron current profiles obtained during the first and third flight of the campaign showed a qualitatively similar behaviour as the MSP charge density data, the profile from the second flight (i.e., at the peak of the Geminids) shows much smaller photoelectron currents. This may tentatively be interpreted as a different MSP composition (and, hence, different photoelectric properties) during this second flight, but at this stage we are not in a position to conclude that there is a cause and effect relation between the Geminids and this observation. Finally, the ECOMA particle detector used during the first and third flight employed three instead of only one xenon flash lamp where each of the three lamps used for one flight had a different window material resulting in different cut off wavelengths for these three lamp types. Taking into account these data along with simple model estimates as well as rigorous quantum chemical calculations, it is argued that constraints on MSP sizes, work function and composition can be inferred. Comparing the measured data to a simple model of the photoelectron currents, we tentatively conclude that we observed MSPs in the 0.5–3 nm size range with generally increasing particle size with decreasing altitude. Notably, this size information can be obtained because different MSP particle sizes are expected to result in different work functions which is both supported by simple classical arguments as well as quantum chemical calculations. Based on this, the MSP work function can be estimated to lie in the range from ~4–4.6 eV. Finally, electronic structure calculations indicate that the low work function of the MSP measured by ECOMA indicates that Fe and Mg hydroxide clusters, rather than metal silicates, are the major constituents of the smoke particles.
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