The study of electronic kinetics of molecular nitrogen in the Titan’s middle atmosphere during the precipitation of cosmic rays

Abstract

The kinetics of the \({{{\text{A}}}^{3}}\Sigma _{u}^{ + },\) B3Πg, W3Δu, \({{{\text{B}}}^{{{\text{'}}3}}}\Sigma _{u}^{ - },\) and C3Πu triplet states of molecular nitrogen at the heights of the middle atmosphere of Titan during action of cosmic rays into the atmosphere has been studied. The calculations consider the intramolecular and intermolecular electron energy transfer during inelastic collisions of electronically excited molecular nitrogen with N2, CH4, and CO molecules. The interaction of electronically excited N2 molecules with molecules of acetylene C2H2 and ethylene C2H4 in the middle atmosphere of Titan at altitudes of 50–250 km has been studied. For the first time, the dominance of reactions with metastable molecular nitrogen N2(\({{{\text{A}}}^{3}}\Sigma _{u}^{ + }\)) in the formation of C2H and C2H3 radicals at these heights has been shown.