Electron excitation of atmospheric constituents takes place in the atmospheres of Earth, the major planets and certain of their satellites, and other objects such as comets. Both photoelectron collisions with the ambient atmospheric species as will as impact of accelerated electrons in the auroral zones of the Earth and in certain regions on other planets are important. The award is a three-year renewal of a current NSF Aeronomy grant whose focus is to develop the techniques to measure the laboratory electron cross sections for unstable atmospheric species, principally atomic oxygen.
