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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 83, NO. A3, PAGES 1172–1174, 1978

Electron Cooling by Excitation of Carbon Dioxide

Michael A. Morrison

Theoretical Division T-12, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545

Arthur E. Greene

Theoretical Division T-12, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545

Abstract

The cooling of a heated electron gas by electron impact excitation of CO₂ is believed to be an important process in the neutral atmospheres of Mars and Venus. Electron energy loss rates are calculated for a variety of excitation processes as a function of electron temperature at a CO₂ gas temperature of 200 K. Vibrational excitation is found to be the most efficient cooling mechanism for the range of electron temperatures studied. The contributions of various vibrational energy loss processes to electron cooling are discussed.

Received 18 July 1977; accepted 30 October 1977.

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Citation: Morrison, M. A., and A. E. Greene (1978), Electron Cooling by Excitation of Carbon Dioxide, J. Geophys. Res., 83(A3), 1172–1174.

Copyright 1978 by the American Geophysical Union.