Cross Sections for Collisions of Electrons and Photons with Nitrogen Molecules

Abstract

Data have been compiled on the cross sections for collisions of electrons and photons with nitrogen molecules (N2). For electron collisions, the processes considered are: total scattering, elastic scattering, momentum transfer, excitations of rotational, vibrational and electronic states, dissociation, and ionization. Ionization and dissociation processes are discussed for photon impact. Cross section data selected are presented graphically. Spectroscopic and other properties of the nitrogen molecule are summarized. The literature was surveyed through the end of 1984, but some more recent data are included when useful.

New electron energy transfer rates for vibrational excitation of N<sub>2</sub>

“…As a result, the ®rst cross-section peak for the excitation of the nitrogen molecule from its ground vibrational state v 0 to a vibrational state v 1 has a value of about 4X45 Á 10 À16 cm 2 at 2 eV. The swarm analysis of Haddad results in cross sections consistent with the unpublished measurements of Wong et al of N 2 vibrational cross sections (Itikawa et al, 1986). The value of a normalization factor of 0.7 for Schulz's (1976) nitrogen vibrational cross sections is in agreement with the deduction by Aleksandrov et al (1986) from the analysis of the data on the drift velocity of electrons in a mixture of Ar and N 2 .…”

“…The results presented in this paper were obtained by use of r 01 i of Engelhard et al (1964) compiled by Itikawa et al (1986) for the region of electron energy from 0.3 to 1.7 eV and r 01 i of Robertson et al (1997) for i b 1X7 eV. The cross sections for excitation of N 2 0 to N 2 2 by electrons given by Robertson et al (1997) were used in our calculations.…”

Rise and fall of electron temperatures: Ohmic heating of ionospheric electrons from underdense HF radio wave pumping

“…The photoelectron flux is calculated with with an electron-two-stream code [Gustavsson and Eliasson, 2008]. The photoelectron production we calculate with photoionization cross sections compiled by Itikawa et al [1986Itikawa et al [ , 1989 and Itikawa and Ichimura [1990] and solar EUV fluxes from SOLAR2000 [Tobiska and Bouwer, 2006] with one scale factor for wavelengths below 1200 Å and another for wavelengths below 250 Å. In Figure 7 the scaled EUV photon fluxes are shown together with the EUV fluxes from SOLAR2000.…”

Subauroral red arcs as a conjugate phenomenon: comparison of OV1-10 satellite data with numerical calculations

“…The results presented in this paper were obtained using r 01 i complied by Itikawa et al (1986) for the region of electron energy from 0.3 to 1.8 eV. We used r 0v i recommended by Schulz (1976) for i b 1X8 eV with the normalization factor of 0.7 given by Haddad (1984) and the absolute value of r 01 i 4X45 Á 10 À16 cm 2 at i 2 eVX The partial cross sections for excitation of N 2 (1) to N 2 v b 1 by electrons calculated by Dube and Herzenberg (1979) for v 2±4 were adjusted to give the best ®t of the calculated r 01 i also from Dube and Herzenberg (1979), to the measured r 01 i .…”

“…To specify the neutral temperature and the number densities of N 2 Y O 2 , O, and N we utilize the MSIS-86 model (Hedin, 1987) using the 3-h e p index as an indicator of the geomagnetic activity. To calculate the density of NO the same scheme of the processes of formation and loss of NO as in Iwagami and Ogawa (1987) is used, so it is not presented here:…”