Vibrational kinetics of air plasmas induced by sprites

Abstract

[1] The vibrational kinetics of air plasmas produced by the presence of sprites in the mesosphere of the Earth is studied in detail. The present model solves the coupled electron Boltzmann equation and rate equations for electrons, neutrals (ground and excited), and ions. Special attention is paid to the vibrational kinetics of N 2 (X 1 S g + ) and to that of the N 2 triplet states (A 3 S u + , B 3 P g , C 3 P u , W 3 D u , and B′ 3 S u + ). The results presented are for an altitude of 78 km over sea level where the model-predicted vibrational distribution function (VDF) of N 2 (B 3 P g ) is in agreement with available VDF derived from sprite spectra (640-820 nm) obtained using spectrographs coupled to high-speed video cameras (300 frames per second (fps)). In addition, the model predictions indicate that the sprite plasma VDFs of N 2 (B 3 P g ) and N 2 (C 3 P u ) are almost in thermal equilibrium and exhibit a maximum at v = 0 followed by lower values for v = 1 and v = 2. Finally, it is also predicted that the N 2 (B 3 P g ) and N 2 (C 3 P u ) VDFs recorded with very high speed video cameras (up to 10000 fps) should not differ much from the N 2 (B 3 P g ) and N 2 (C 3 P u ) VDFs obtained with cameras working at lower speeds (30 and 300 fps).

Near infrared and ultraviolet spectra of TLEs

“…We use the air plasma kinetic model described in Gordillo‐Vázquez [2008] and Gordillo‐Vázquez [2010]: a zero‐dimensional model that solves a set of differential rate equations for each of the different species considered (electrons, ions, atoms and molecules) and each of the electronically and vibrationally excited species in the streamer, halo and bead air plasma coupled to a time‐dependent Boltzmann equation for the electron energy distribution function with a prescribed time‐dependent electric field. In this model, all the kinetics are self‐consistent, although the electrodynamics are not consistently solved with the plasma kinetics since the Poisson equation is not considered.…”

“…The kinetic model [ Gordillo‐Vázquez , 2008, 2010] that is used here to calculate the non‐equilibrium vibrational kinetics of air plasmas generated by sprite streamers, halos and beads incorporates the improved set of N 2 (B 3 Π g , v ) and N 2 (C 3 Π u , v ) quenching rates, and the N 2 (a 1 Π g , v ) and NO( A 2 Σ + ), NO( C 2 Π r ) and NO( B 2 Π) kinetics recently described in Luque and Gordillo‐Vázquez [2011b] and Gordillo‐Vázquez et al [2011], respectively. In addition to this, our kinetic model for TLEs includes the mechanism of associative detachment that releases electrons from O − when reacting with N 2 to generate N 2 O [ Gordillo‐Vázquez and Luque , 2010; Luque and Gordillo‐Vázquez , 2012].…”

Full‐kinetic elve model simulations and their comparisons with the ISUAL observed events

“…We also ran the elve model in previous studies, and the modeling results well reproduced the morphological and photometric behaviors of the ISUAL recorded elves [ Kuo et al , 2007; Chang et al , 2010; Huang et al , 2010]. Recently, Gordillo‐Vázquez et al used air plasma kinetics model [ Gordillo ‐ Vázquez , 2008] to study the halo spectrum [ Gordillo ‐ Vázquez et al , 2011] and vibrational kinetics in sprites [ Gordillo ‐ Vazquez , 2010]. In the present paper, the chemical reactions set reported in the plasma streamer model [ Sentman et al , 2008; Sentman and Stenbaek ‐ Nielsen , 2009] is incorporated into the elve model [ Kuo et al , 2007; Chang et al , 2010; Huang et al , 2010] to explore the full kinetic chemical processes in elves.…”

Étranges phénomènes lumineux et bouffées de rayons gamma observés au-dessus des orages

“…Des travaux récents [9,10], ainsi que des mesures sur la génération d'oxyde d'azote NO x effectuées sur des décharges de laboratoires [11], indiquent que la concentration locale de NO x dans la haute atmosphère pourrait être multipliée par un facteur 100 suite à la génération d'un Sprite. Ces travaux sont toutefois controversés et des données complémentaires sont nécessaires pour conclure sur ce point.…”