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Detailed Reference Information
Shepherd et al. 1980
Shepherd, G.G., Winningham, J.D., Bunn, F.E. and Thirkettle, F.W. (1980). An empirical determination of the production efficiency for auroral 6300-Å emission by energetic electrons. Journal of Geophysical Research 85: doi: 10.1029/JA085iA02p00715. issn: 0148-0227.

Auroral data from the soft particle spectrometer and the red line photometer on the Isis 2 spacecraft have been selected to form an electron energy flux and optical auroral emission data base. The energy fluxes are stored as integrated fluxes over four energy bands, and the corresponding stored optical emission rates are corrected for airglow and for albedo. Because of the variety of electron energy spectra represented in the data base, it was possible to perform a regression analysis that yielded the production efficiency for the production of emission for each of the four bands. While the results of this analysis are interesting to compare with theoretical predictions of 6300-¿ excitation processes, these statistical results are not as precise as the comparisons of individual experiments where all parameters, such as the atmospheric composition and temperature profiles, are measured. The significance of this approach is that it permits a multiparameter description of an electron energy spectrum, and its relationship to a specific optical emission, by purely empirical means. This is particularly useful in the interpretation of Isis 2 data from the instruments which provided the results, but should find further application in optical-particle auroral studies.

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Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
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American Geophysical Union
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