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Science 6 June 1997:
Vol. 276. no. 5318, pp. 1530 - 1533
DOI: 10.1126/science.276.5318.1530
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Reports

The Source of Green Light Emission Determined from a Heavy-Ion Storage Ring Experiment

D. Kella, L. Vejby-Christensen, P. J. Johnson, H. B. Pedersen, L. H. Andersen *

The final electronic states of oxygen atoms formed by dissociative recombination of O2+ with cold electrons have been measured by an imaging technique at a heavy-ion storage ring. The 3P, 1D, and 1S quantum yield for O2+ in the vibrational ground level was found to be 0.86, 1.09, and 0.05, respectively. The yield of the 1S state, which is responsible for the 5577 angstrom green light from upper planetary atmospheres, was more than an order of magnitude larger than the theoretical value used in atmospheric models. The results may help refine the models of the chemistry and dynamics of the ionosphere and provide guidance for further quantum-chemistry calculations.

Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Aarhus, DK 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: lha{at}dfi.aau.dk

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Dissociative Recombination of HD+ in Selected Vibrational Quantum States.
Z. Amitay, A. Baer, M. Dahan, L. Knoll, M. Lange, J. Levin, I. F. Schneider, D. Schwalm, A. Suzor-Weiner, Z. Vager, et al. (1998)
Science 281, 75-78
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Mechanism for the Green Glow of the Upper Ionosphere.
S. L. Guberman (1997)
Science 278, 1276-1278
   Abstract »    Full Text »


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