Electron Collisions in our Atmosphere - How the Microscopic Drives the Macroscopic

Abstract

Recent measurements of low energy, absolute electron scattering cross sections for vibrational excitation of NO have been used to update the cross set used for modeling atmospheric auroral processes. These new cross sections, which highlight the role that intermediate negative ions (resonances) play at energies below 5 eV in mediating vibrational excitation, also indicate that electron-driven processes play an important role in the infrared (∼5 um) auroral emissions from the NO molecule.