Observation of O+ (P-4-D-4(0)) lines in electron aurora over Svalbard

• This work reports on observations of O+ lines in aurora over Svalbard, Norway. The Spectrographic Imaging Facility measures auroral spectra in three wavelength intervals(H-beta, N-2(+) 1N(0,2) and N-2(+) 1N(1,3)). The oxygen ion P-4-D-4(0) multiplet (4639-4696 Angstrom) is blended with the N-2(+) 1N(1,3) band. It is found that in electron aurora, the brightness of this multiplet, is on average, about 0.1 of the N-2(+) 1N(0,2) total brightness. A joint optical and incoherent scatter radar study of an electron aurora event shows that the ratio is enhanced when the ionisation in the upper E-layer (140-190 km) is significant with respect to the E-layer peak below 130 km. Rayed arcs were observed on one such occasion, whereas on other occasions the auroral intensity was below the threshold of the imager. A one-dimensional electron transport model is used to estimate the cross section for production of the multiplet in electron collisions, yielding 0.18 x 10(-18) cm(2).

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Geofysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Geophysics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

meteorology and atmospheric dynamics

airglow and aurora

ionosphere

particle precipitation

field-aligned currents

optical aurora

spectra

oxygen

radar

impact

excitation

emissions

scatter

n2

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)