Speaker
Description
The recording of meteor spectra allows a better understanding of meteoric composition and in doing so, also the composition of the parent body [1--2]. The composition of a meteoroid is measured by analyzing the measured radiating species with a simulation software for emission spectra. One software is PARADE (Plasma Radiation Database), a line-by-line emission calculation tool [3]. This software was originally developed for the analysis of re-entry radiation of spacecraft. Recently, atoms and molecules ($Na$, $K$, $Ti$, $V$, $Cr$, $Mn$, $Fe$, $Ca$, $Ni$, $Co$, $Mg$, $Si$, $Li$, $AlO$, $TiO$) commonly found in meteor spectra have been added to PARADE [4], therefore enabling a more precise assessment of the observed spectra. Molecules such as $MgO$, also observed in the radiative cloud of meteor [5], are still missing in the database. This work presents the extension of PARADE with the $MgO$ molecule.
The PARADE data base is extended by the electronical, vibrational and rotational energy levels of $MgO$ ($X^{1}\Sigma^{+}$, $A^{1}\Pi$, $B^{1}\Sigma^{+}$) [6--10] and the transitions between them ($B^{1}\Sigma^{+} \rightarrow X^{1}\Sigma^{+}$ and $B^{1}\Sigma^{+} \rightarrow A^{1}\Pi$) [11--14]. Moreover, the Franck--Condon factor, $r$-centroids and complete transition moments of the two transitions were interpolated and extrapolated to fill in a comprehensive $MgO$ data file. The spectra computation is operated by the PARADE software for given plasma temperatures and yields the emission coefficient of the molecule [3--4]. Preliminary experiments have been conducted to validate the emission spectra of $MgO$, and further experiments are planned to improve the recorded spectra by optimizing the conditions used in the plasma wind tunnel facility.
The final paper will present the computed spectra of $MgO$ from PARADE, the comparison to experimental data and a discussion on the improvement possibilities.
Summary
The final paper will present the computed spectra of MgO from PARADE, the comparison to experimental data and a discussion on the improvement possibilities.