Altitude Profiles of OH and O2 Near Infrared Airglows in the Evening Twilight
1983 Volume 35 Issue 3 Pages 57-64
Details
1983 Volume 35 Issue 3 Pages 57-64
The height distributions of the airglow emissions in the regions of 1.3μm and 1.6μm were observed by a rocket-borne radiometer 83 minutes after sunset at Uchinoura, Japan. The 1.6μm emission from the lower vibrational levels of OH occurred in a wider height range and at a lower peak height by a few kilometers than the previous midnight profiles in the same wavelength region. The 1.3μm emission, including the O2 1.27μm airglow and the OH airglow from higher vibrational levels, had a peak emission height at 90km and a height width of 14km. A possibility for a contribution of the HO2 reaction to the formation of vibrationally excited OH is discussed in the light of the observed airglow profiles.
