Photochemical response of the nighttime mesosphere to electric field heating - Recovery of electron density enhancements

Abstract

A photochemical model has been developed to examine the response of the nighttime mesosphere to electric field heating. Time dynamics of 29 chemical species are accounted for by a set of 156 reactions. Recovery dynamics of electron density enhancements are examined in detail, and the recovery timescales of VLF scattering resulting from the modeled conductivity changes are quantitatively estimated. Both typical recovery (up to 240 s) and long recovery (>300 s) timescales of early VLF scattering events are explainable in terms of the model results. Electron production and loss during recovery is determined by a small set of attachment, detachment, and recombination processes. Based on the model results, we conclude that long recovery VLF scattering proceeds from sufficiently large electron density enhancements that are controlled by slow recombination loss (i.e., when attachment loss is small or balanced by detachment).