Studying the Electronic Kinetics of Molecular Nitrogen in the Middle Atmosphere of Titan during the Precipitation of Cosmic Rays

Abstract

A study is performed of the kinetics of triplet states ${{{\text{A}}}^{3}}\Sigma _{u}^{ + },$ B³Π_g, W³Δ_u, ${{{\text{B}}}^{{{{'}}3}}}\Sigma _{u}^{ - },$ C³Π_u of molecular nitrogen at the altitudes of Titan’s middle atmosphere during the precipitation of cosmic rays. The intramolecular and intermolecular transfer of electron energy during inelastic collisions between electronically excited molecular nitrogen and molecules of N₂, CH₄, and CO is considered, as is the interaction between electronically excited N₂ molecules and molecules of acetylene C₂H₂ and ethylene C₂H₄ in the middle atmosphere of Titan at altitudes of 50–250 km. The dominance of reactions with metastable molecular nitrogen N₂(${{{\text{A}}}^{3}}\Sigma _{u}^{ + }$) in the formation of C₂H and C₂H₃ radicals at these heights is shown for the first time.