First observation of the oxygen 630 nm emission in the Martian dayglow
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Authors
Gérard, J.-C.
Aoki, S.
Gkouvelis, L.
Soret, L.
Willame, Y.
Thomas, I.R.
Depiesse, C.
Ristic, B.
Vandaele, A.C.
Hubert, B.
Daerden, F.
Patel, M.R.
López-Moreno, J.-J.
Bellucci, G.
Mason, J.P.
López-Valverde, M.A.
Discipline
Physical sciences
Subject
EXOMARS
dayglow
Mars
oxygen
visible
Audience
Scientific
Date
2021Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
Following the recent detection of the oxygen green line airglow on Mars, we have improved the statistical analysis of the data recorded by the NOMAD/UVIS instrument on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mission by summing up hundreds of spectra to increase the signal‐to‐noise ratio. This led to the observation of the OI 630 nm emission, the first detection in a planetary atmosphere outside the Earth. The average limb profile shows a broad peak intensity of 4.8 kR near 150 km. Comparison with a photochemical model indicates that it is well predicted by current photochemistry, considering the sources of uncertainty. The red/green line intensity ratio decreases dramatically with altitude as a consequence of the efficient quenching of O(1D) by CO2. Simultaneous observations of the green and red dayglow will provide information on variations in the thermosphere in response to seasonal changes and the effects of solar events.
Citation
Gérard, J.-C.; Aoki, S.; Gkouvelis, L.; Soret, L.; Willame, Y.; Thomas, I.R.; Depiesse, C.; Ristic, B.; Vandaele, A.C.; Hubert, B.; Daerden, F.; Patel, M.R.; López-Moreno, J.-J.; Bellucci, G.; Mason, J.P.; López-Valverde, M.A. (2021). First observation of the oxygen 630 nm emission in the Martian dayglow. , Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 48, Issue 8, e2020GL092334, DOI: 10.1029/2020GL092334.Identifiers
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng