Authors: Pavlov A V Berrington K A
Publish Date: 1999/07/31
Volume: 17, Issue: 7, Pages: 919-924
Abstract
Abstract The atomic oxygen fine structure cooling rate of thermal electrons based on new effective collision strengths for electron impact excitation of the groundstate 3P finestructure levels in atomic oxygen have been fitted to an analytical expression which is available to the researcher for quick reference and accurate computer modeling with a minimum of calculations We found that at the F region altitudes of the ionosphere the new cooling rate is much less than the currently used fine structure cooling rates up to a factor of 24 and this cooling rate is not the dominant electron cooling process in the F region of the ionosphere at middle latitudes
Key words Atmospheric composition and structure thermosphere · composition and density · Ionosphere midlatitude ionosphere modelling and forecasting
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