Ion chemistry of N2/+/ and the solar ultraviolet flux in the thermosphere
We have analyzed daytime composition measurements in the thermosphere from Atmosphere Explorer-C by use of a theory of the ion chemistry. Predicted and measured N2(+) densities are compared to infer global variation of the solar ionizing flux. Results indicate that the solar flux of Hinteregger measured on Atmosphere Explorer-C provides an adequate basis for the calculation of solar ultraviolet photoionization rates. The role of metastable species is examined, and theoretical O+(2D) densities are presented.