Analytic approach to photoelectron transport.

Abstract

The equation governing the transport of photoelectrons in the ionosphere is shown to be equivalent to the equation of radiative transfer. In the single-energy approximation this equation is solved in closed form by the method of discrete ordinates for isotropic scattering and for a single-constituent atmosphere. The results include prediction of the angular distribution of photoelectrons at all altitudes and, in particular, the angular distribution of the escape flux. The implications of these solutions in real atmosphere calculations are discussed.