195lApJ...113..

583M

THE AURORAL SPECTRUM FROM 6200 TO 8900 A*

A. B. Meinel
'Yerkes Observatory
Received December 27, 1950

ABSTRACT
The infrared region of the auroral spectrum is rich in molecular and atomic emissions. The molecular
bands are due to a new system of Nt, the first positive system of Y2, and the atmospheric system of O2.
Several permitted atomic lines of A1 and 0 1, as well as Ha, are present. A table of wave lengths and in-
tensities has been prepared.
The intense auroral storm of August 18 and 19, 1950, presented the opportunity to
obtain exposures of varying duration covering the infrared spectrum as far as 8900 A.
A brief description of the spectrograph used for these observations has been published.1
The spectrum reproduced in Figure 1 shows the auroral spectrum as obtained with an
exposure of 1J hours on a hypersensitized Eastman I-N emulsion. Figures 2 and 3 are
microphotometer tracings of this auroral spectrum. The two superimposed tracings are
from the same plate, with tracing a from an effective zenith distance of 35° (N.) and
tracing b from 55° (N.). It is interesting to note that Ha in tracing a is shifted visibly
to the violet of tracing b. The difference in air-path lengths between a and b is evident
for the A-band absorption.
MOLECULAR BANDS
The most striking feature of the auroral spectrum in this region is the presence of a
new band system, identified by the author2 as being due to the A2II—X22 transition of
Nt- The typical doublet appearance of these bands is readily seen. The tentative num-
bering of the bands is indicated in Figure 1. The observed intensities, however, would
not exclude increasing the numbering of the upper vibrational levels by one or two num-
bers. Since both coe and have been determined, the value of ve can readily be deter-
mined after the numbering is known.
The transition probability for the A2II—X22 bands must be small, since these bands
have never been observed in the laboratory, although the transition is entirely permitted.
On the other hand, the B22—X22 negative bands of N$ have a high transition probabil-
* ity. In laboratory sources the A2II—X22 bands of are weaker than the negative bands
of N£ by a factor greater than 10. Ih the past the large transition probability of the
negative bands has led to the conclusion that a small number of N$ molecules would be
sufficient to produce the auroral emissions. The great intensity of these new bands, how-
ever, requires a large upward revision of the number of Nt molecules in the aurora. The
excitation process must be such that a large number of excitations occurs to the A2II
level (1.35 e.v.) for each excitation to the B22 level (3.15 e.v.). This supposition then
strongly indicates that the excitations of occur from the X22 level of Nt rather
1
than from the X ^ state of the normal N2 molecule, as is generally advocated. If the
excitations were from the X1^ state of A^, then the populations in the A2II and B22
states would depend on the relative ionization probabilities from the X1!^ state. Since
Nt in laboratory sources must largely arise from the X1^ state because of the brief
existence of the ions, the laboratory intensities then should not be appreciably dif-
* The investigation was supported in part by a grant from the Office of Naval Research.
1
A. B. Meinel, Ap. Ill, 555, 1950.
2
A. B. Meinel, C.R., 231, 1049, 1950; Ap. J112, 562, 1950.
583

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584

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 195lApJ...113..583M

© American Astronomical Society

Fig. 3.—Microphotometer tracings of the auroral spectrum from

Provided by the NASA Astrophysics Data System

195lApJ...113..583M

586 A. B. MEINEL
ferent from auroral intensities. The fact that Nf ions can exist for long periods of time
at auroral heights, combined with the large relative intensity of the A2II—X22 bands
compared to the negative bands of Nf, would indicate that the excitations may occur
directly from the ground X22 state of N£. If the new band system can be studied in the
laboratory, it may be possible to estimate the relative transition probabilities between
the A2II-X22 and the B22—X22 transitions.
The B3II-A32 first positive system of N% is responsible for the most intense features
of the infrared auroral spectrum in this wave-length range. The transitions that are
present are indicated on Figures 1 and 2. The (3, 0) and (6, 4) bands overlap with bands
of the new system of N£, while the atmospheric A-band absorption is superimposed on
the (3, 1) band. Although the B band almost coincides with the minimum of the (2, 0)
N£ band, the effect must be small, since the broadening of the lines of the B band is not
sufficient to appreciably affect the discrete emission lines of a superimposed molecular
band. The fact that no difference is apparent between the two tracings supports this
opinion. The gap in the A-band absorption is responsible for the aatomic”-line feature
at 7622 A. The wave lengths of the heads of the first positive bands of N2 as given by
Pearse and Gaydon are indicated in Figures 2 and 3.
The complex emission between 8600 and 8700 A appears to be due to three sources.
The background emission near 8700 A is due to the (2, 1) band of the first positive sys-
tem of N2. Upon this emission is superimposed the 3s4P—3p4D° transition of AT. The
emission near 8630 A is probably due to the R branch of the (0,1) band of the A^—X3^
system of O2, the P branch contributing to the emission at 8660 A. The final analysis of
this complex group will have to await higher-dispersion studies.

PERMITTED ATOMIC EMISSIONS

Aside from the broadened Ha, line3 and the familiar red auroral lines of 01, the re-
maining emission features are due to permitted transitions of 01 and N1. Three O 1
transitions are present: 35S° —35P at 7774.7 A, 33S° —33P at 8446.4 A, and 33P—3s/3D°
at 7987 A. The Oi lines at X 6454.7 and X 7254.5 A, that arise from slightly higher-
energy levels, are not present.
The presence of permitted N1 emissions, suggested by Meinel4 and Petrie,5 had been
open to question. The primary evidence to date has been the attribution of the strong
emission near 8680 A to the 3s4p —3p4D° transition of N1. As previously stated, the
identification of this complex group of emissions is difficult. A better test would be pro-
vided by the 3s4P —3p4P° transition of iV 1 that occurs in a region free from other auroral
emissions near 8216 A. Dufay6 has drawn attention to the fact that this transition may
account for the weak emission listed previously by the author4 at 8216 A.
Current spectra obtained by the author show conclusively that the 3s4P—3p4P°
transition of iV 1 is present in the aurora. The N1 multiplet is superimposed on the wing
of the adjacent N£ band at 8050 A. The positions and intensities of the seven components
of the 3s4P—3p4P° transition are indicated in Figure 3. The excellent agreement can
hardly be fortuitous. The 3s4P—3p4S° transition of iVi at 7468 A, 7442 A, and 7423 A
that arises from a slightly higher-energy level is not present. The evidence for the 8216 A
N i emission and the fact that it shows a height distribution similar to the permitted
molecular bands are sufficient, however, to establish the presence of atomic nitrogen at
low elevations during an aurora.
3
A. B. Meinel, Phys. Rev., 80, 1096, 1950; Ap. J113, 50, 1951.
tPub. A.S.P., 60,357, 1948.
5
/. Geophys. Res., 55, No. 2, 143, 1950.
6
C.R., 228, 496, 1949.

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195lApJ...113..583M

TABLE 1
Auroral Wave Lengths in the Infrared

Wave Length Wave Number

(Air) (Vac.) Intensity Identification
A (Cm-1)
6300.2 15868.2 43 233P-211D [0 I]
6363.7 709.9 12 2 p_2 D [01]
6390.2 644.6 1 (9, 6) A2 IP*
6480.0. 427.8 2 (8, 5) N2 IP
6515.6. 343.5 4 (7, 4) N2 IP
6544.6. 275.5 5 (7, 4) N2 IP
6563.2. 232.3 10 Ha
6591.8. 166.2 7 (6, 3) N2 IP
6619.5. 102.8 6 (6, 3) A2 IP
6671.5. 14985.1 7 (5, 2) W2 IP
6702.3.. 916.2 7 (5, 2) W2 IP
6755.2.. 799.5 6 (4, 1) N2 IP
6784.3.. 736.0 6 (4, 1) iV2 IP
6858.2f 577.0 7 (2, 0) AY+1"; (3, 0) A2 IP
6892.2.. 505.2 4 (2, 0) W2
6962.2. 359.4 1 (9, 7) IP
7049.9. 180.8 5 (3, 1) A2++
7085.1. 110.3 5 (3, 1) A2
7148.9. 13984.2 2 (7, 5) N2+ IP
7249.5. 790.2 6 (4, 2) N2
7281.lt. 730.4 5 (4, 2) A2+; (6, 4) A2 IP
7347.8.. 605.8 8 (5, 3) N2 IP
7381.9.. 543.0 7 (5, 3) N2 IP
7467.0. 388.7 .
25 (4, 2) N2 IP
7479.3.. 366.7 24 (4, 2) N2 IP
7489.1. 349.2 25 (4, 2) N2 IP
7501.6. 326.9 22 (4, 2) N2 IP
7583.6. 182.7 32 (3, 1) iV2 IP
7622.1. 116.1 7 (3, 1) N2 IP
7693.1. 12995.1 57 (2, 0) W2 IP
7748.6. 902.1 41 (2, 0) N2 IP
7773.6. 860.6 39 3ÖS°—36P Ol
7828.2. 770.7 42 (1,0) n2+
7861.9. 716.0 39 (1,0) w2+
7879.6. 687.4 63 (1,0) a2+
7912.2. 635.2 19 (1,0) n2+
7991.7. 509.5 6 33P-3s/3D° 01
8056.8. 408.5 22 (2, 1) N2++
8094.0. 351.5 18 (2, 1) iV2
8107.0. 331.7 31 (2, 1) IV2+
8186.6. 211.8 6 3s44P—3p44p° NI
8216.3. 167.5 9 3s4P—3p4P° iV I
8243.0. 128.1 2 3s P—3p +p° AI
8297.6. 048.3 5 (3, 2) N2+
8349.2. 11973.9 8 (3, 2) N2
8446.9. 835.4 58 33S — 33P Ol
8540.9. 705.2 12 (3, 2) A2 IP
8629.2. 585.3 108 (0, 1) 02 Atm
8664.9. 537.6 150 (0,4 1) 02 4 Atm
8681.9. 515.0 280 3s P—3p D° AI
8703.8. 486.1 150 3s4P-3p4D° Al
8718.8. 466.3 120 (2, 1) A2 LP
8908.5. 222.2 300 (1, 0) A2 IP

* “EP»> indicates first positive system,

f ÍV2 IP maxima obscured by infrared Nz+ bands.

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588 A. B. MEINEL

AURORAL EMISSION WAVE LENGTHS

The wave lengths and relative intensities for all emissions in the region from 6200
to 8900 A are given in Table 1. The wave lengths of molecular features refer to the
positions of the maxima. Where possible, the wave length of the first and last maximum
is given. For some bands, however, the observed detail has warranted detailed measure-
ments. The intensities are corrected for the variation of sensitivity with wave length.
The intensities for the molecular features refer to the specific intensity at the tabulated
wave length and not to the integrated band intensity.

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