Sprite spectra; N2 1 PG band identification
Authors:
- 1 October 1995
- journal article
- Published by American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Geophysical Research Letters
- Vol. 22 (19) , 2633-2636
Abstract
Imagery and spectra of high altitude luminous flashes, otherwise known as sprites, occurring in the stratosphere/mesosphere above electrically active cumulonimbus clouds were acquired on July 16, 1995 from an observation site near Ft. Collins, Colorado. The spectra, resolved from ∼4500–8000 Å included four spectral features in the 6000–7600 Å region which have been identified as N2 1PG system with Δv=2,3, and 4 from the v=2,4,5,6 vibrational levels of the B³πg state. The spectra were lacking in other features such as the N2+ Meinel or the N2+ 1st neg system indicating that the electron energy causing the excitation is quite low.Keywords
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