Non-Thermal Nitric Oxide Formation in the Earth’s Polar Atmosphere
Auroral events are the prominent manifestation of solar/stellar forcing on planetary atmospheres because they are closely related to the stellar energy deposition by and evolution of planetary atmospheres. A numerical kinetic Monte Carlo model was developed with the aim to calculate the steady-state...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/7/1092 |
| Summary: | Auroral events are the prominent manifestation of solar/stellar forcing on planetary atmospheres because they are closely related to the stellar energy deposition by and evolution of planetary atmospheres. A numerical kinetic Monte Carlo model was developed with the aim to calculate the steady-state energy distribution functions of suprathermal N(<sup>4</sup>S) atoms in the polar upper atmosphere formed due to the precipitation of high-energy auroral electrons in the N<sub>2</sub>-O<sub>2</sub> atmospheres of rocky planets in solar and exosolar planetary systems. This model describes on the molecular level the collisions of suprathermal N(<sup>4</sup>S) atoms and atmospheric gas taking into account the stochastic nature of collisional scattering at high kinetic energies. It was found that the electron impact dissociation of N<sub>2</sub> is an important source of suprathermal N atoms, significantly increasing the non-thermal production of nitric oxide in the auroral regions of the N<sub>2</sub>-O<sub>2</sub> atmospheres of terrestrial-type planets. |
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| ISSN: | 2073-4433 |