The Electronic Kinetics of Molecular Nitrogen and Molecular Oxygen in the Earth’s Middle Atmosphere during the GLE Events of Solar Cycle 23

Abstract

Based on models of the electronic kinetics of triplet and singlet states of molecular nitrogen andsinglet states of molecular oxygen for the Earth’s middle atmosphere, we calculated the intensity profiles ofthe bands of the first and second positive N2 systems, the Lyman–Birge–Hopfield N2 bands, and the infraredO2 bands in the case of precipitation of high-energy protons during the GLE65, GLE67, GLE69, and GLE70events of solar cycle 23. Calculations have shown that almost over the entire interval of altitudes of 20–80 km,there is a significant contribution from the processes of quenching some electronically excited states of N2and O2 during molecular collisions. The kinetics of O2 singlet states at the altitudes of the middle atmosphereduring proton precipitation is considered taking into account both direct excitation by high-energy particlesand intermolecular processes of electron excitation transfer