Resonance radiation of AlO from trimethyl aluminum released into the upper atmosphere

Abstract

In a recent note [Rosenberg et al., 1963a] an experiment was described in which trimethyl aluminum (TMA) was released from a rocket at night into the upper atmosphere. A persistent luminous trail formed, presumably the result of interaction of atmospheric oxygen atoms with TMA or its degradation products. The chemiluminescent trail provides an excellent marker for nighttime wind measurements in the upper atmosphere between 85 and 160 km [Rosenberg, 1964]. In this note, a similar experiment is reported in which TMA was released at twilight, so that the trail was sunlit but the sky background was dark. The purpose of the experiment was to ascertain the reaction mechanism for the TMA-oxygen interaction by spectroscopy of the resonance radiation from reaction products or intermediate species. AlO bands were observed in the sunlit part of the trail, making possible the future utilization of TMA to obtain a diatomic molecular resonance spectrum from which ambient temperatures can be determined.