The AURIC-M Atmospheric Transmission and Radiance Model

The ultraviolet UV spectral region has current strong interest for both military and pure scientific studies. Military research, for example, often utilizes the UV emissions from rocket motor exhausts, and the possibility for smaller optical sensors than for the infrared IR. Wavelengths below 300nm are important because atmospheric ozone and oxygen strongly attenuate the solar irradiance, leaving a dark background for target detection. A major area of scientific interest is in atmospheric photochemistry, in which the UV region is of rime importance. The absorption of O2 and O3 largely determine the extent of penetration of sunlight into the stratosphere and troposphere, where it causes photodissociation of a variety of molecules. The photodissociation of O2 is especially important as the major source of odd oxygen.