Accession Number:

AD0607056

Title:

STUDIES OF METASTABLE ATOMS AND MOLECULES USING BEAM TECHNIQUES.

Descriptive Note:

Final rept.,

Corporate Author:

SMITHSONIAN ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY CAMBRIDGE MASS

Personal Author(s):

• Carleton,Nathaniel P.

Report Date:

1964-08-01

Pagination or Media Count:

4.0

Abstract:

The report describes work on 1 laboratory study of certain atomic collision processes of interest in upper atmosphere physics, and 2 analysis of certain phenomena of the aurora and airglow in terms of the collision pro cess involved. The major part of the laboratory work was the study of excitation of metastable atoms and molecules by electron impact upon a thermal molecular beam, coupled with study of radiation from the molecules thus excited and from other molecules to which they may transfer energy in collision. In a separate experiment investigating the production of negative ions at heated metal surfaces as a possible ion source for collision studies a study was made of reactions of C12 and HC1 on a hafnium surface in the temperature range 1300K to 2200K. A similar study was made with 02. On the atmospheric side of the work, the main inquiry was on the excitation of low-lying states of atmospheric molecules by the high energy tail of the energy distribution of ambient ionospheric electrons. Author

Descriptors:

• (*UPPER ATMOSPHERE
• ATOMIC PROPERTIES)
• (*AURORAE
• ATOMIC PROPERTIES)
• (*SKY BRIGHTNESS
• ATOMIC PROPERTIES)
• ATOMS
• MOLECULES
• ATOMIC ENERGY LEVELS
• EXCITATION
• MOLECULAR BEAMS
• ION SOURCES
• CHLORINE
• HYDROCHLORIC ACID
• OXYGEN
• HAFNIUM
• ELECTRON CAPTURE
• IONOSPHERE

Subject Categories:

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE