Production Pathways and Yields of Excited O2 Important for Mesospheric Nightglow

激发态 O2 的产生途径和产量对中层夜光很重要

• 批准号: 2009960
• 负责人: Konstantinos Kalogerakis
• 金额: $ 56.64万
• 依托单位: SRI International
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-08-01 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2009960&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Production; Pathways; Yields; Excited; O2

This award would support the laboratory studies of the reactions that lead to molecular oxygen electronically excited states that are observed in the Earth's mesospheric and lower thermosphere (MLT) nightglow (70 to 110 km). The award would investigate the role of collisional relaxation within the dominant energy flow pathways and would measure the O2 excited-state yields resulting from the process of termolecular association of oxygen atoms. These measurements would provide a quantitative understanding necessary to support the reliable modeling of the atmosphere MLT airglow emissions removing the significant gaps and reducing uncertainties that currently exist in the understanding of these processes. Laser-based laboratory methodologies would be used to investigate MLT nightglow emissions that have recently led to major breakthroughs in the understanding of these nightglow phenomena. Finally, the proposed research will contribute to the development of research experiences for undergraduate students while also providing training for one or more postdoctoral fellows.These laboratory studies will provide insight at the atomic and molecular level into the underlying production mechanisms, energy flow pathways, and yields of the excited O2 states produced following termolecular O-atom association. These investigations will also supply basic physical measurements currently needed to interpret and model important O-atom processes that generate electronically excited O2 in the Earth’s mesosphere. These measurements will quantify the O2 airglow mechanisms allowing the subsequent probe of atmospheric composition and dynamics by remote sensing. Application of basic chemistry and physics to the study of collisional and molecular energy transfer processes on a fundamental level is also critical for understanding combustion, astrophysical environments, as well as the operation of lasers, especially high-power chemical lasers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该奖项将支持对导致分子氧电子激发态的反应的实验室研究，这些反应在地球的中层和较低的热层（MLT）夜总会（70至110 km）中观察到。该奖项将研究碰撞弛豫在主要能量流道中的作用，并将测量由氧原子末期缔合过程所产生的O2激发态产量。这些测量值将提供必要的定量理解，以支持大气MLT气球排放的可靠建模，从而消除了明显的差距并减少当前在理解这些过程中存在的不确定性。基于激光的实验室方法将用于研究MLT的夜总会排放，这些排放最近导致了对这些夜间现象的理解。最后，拟议的研究将为本科生的研究经历的发展做出贡献，同时还为一个或多个博士后研究员提供培训。这些实验室研究将在原子和分子水平上提供洞察力，以对末期O-ATOM关联后产生的激发O2状态的基本生产机制，能量流道和产量。这些研究还将提供目前所需的基本物理测量，以解释和建模重要的O-ATOM过程，这些过程在地球的中层中产生电子激发的O2。这些测量结果将量化O2气流机制，从而使随后通过远程灵敏度对大气组成和动力学进行探测。将基本化学和物理学应用于基本水平的碰撞和分子能量传递过程的研究对于理解组合，天体物理环境以及激光器的运行，尤其是高功率化学激光器的运行也至关重要。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，这反映了使用基金会的智力综述和宽阔的评估，这是NSF的法定任务，并被视为珍贵的支持。