Patent ID: 7345286
Filing Date: 2008-03-18
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: detecting a first intensity of 83.4 nm airglow from singly charged oxygen ions (O obtaining a first altitude at which the number density of singly charged oxygen ions (O obtaining a first peak singly charged oxygen ion (O obtaining a first atomic oxygen scale height in the F-region of the ionosphere along the vector from Earth to the satellite; estimating a second altitude at which the number density of singly charged oxygen ions (O estimating a second peak singly charged oxygen ion (O estimating a second atomic oxygen scale height in the F-region of the ionosphere along the vector from Earth to the satellite; estimating an amount of singly charged oxygen ions (O estimating a second intensity of 83.4 nm airglow from singly charged oxygen ions (O defining a generalized chi-squared function of the first altitude, the first peak density, the first atomic oxygen scale height, the estimated second altitude, the estimated second peak density, the estimated second atomic oxygen scale height, the first intensity and the estimated second intensity; minimizing the generalized chi-squared function by varying at least one of the estimated second altitude, the estimated second peak density and the estimated second atomic oxygen scale height to determine optimal estimates of the estimated second altitude, the estimated second peak density and the estimated second atomic oxygen scale height; and determining the altitude profile of the amount of singly charged atomic oxygen ions (O