Updated SAO OMI formaldehyde retrieval

We present and discuss the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) formaldehyde (H2CO) retrieval algorithm for the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) which is the operational retrieval for NASA OMI H2CO. The version of the algorithm described here includes relevant changes with respect to the operational one, including differences in the reference spectra for H2CO, the fit of O2-O2 collisional complex, updates in the high resolution solar reference spectrum, the use of a model reference sector over the remote Pacific Ocean to normalize the retrievals, an updated Air Mass Factor (AMF) calculation scheme, and the inclusion of scattering weights and vertical H2CO profile in the level 2 products. The theoretical basis of the retrieval is discussed in detail. Typical values for retrieved vertical columns are between 4 × 1015 and 4 × 1016 molecules cm−2 with typical fitting uncertainties ranging between 40% and 100%. In high concentration regions the errors are usually reduced to 30%. The detection limit is estimated at 3 × 1015 molecules cm−2. These updated retrievals are compared with previous ones.

Pressure-Induced Molecular Absorption in Stellar Atmospheres

Pressure-induced absorption arises in complexes of two or more inert atoms or molecules, due to dipole moments induced during the collisional interaction. The term “pressure-induced” still prevails in the astrophysical literature, yet “collision-induced” absorption (CIA), or “interaction-induced” absorption seems more appropriate and is commonly used elsewhere. Ordinary absorption processes in the infrared arise from individual, polar molecules interacting with electromagnetic radiation. As a consequence, the intensity of the allowed lines increases linearly with density. CIA, on the other hand, is most striking in gases composed of nonpolar, infrared-inactive molecules. Induced spectral lines are observed at rovibrational frequencies which are dipole-forbidden in single (i.e. non-interacting) molecules. Dipole transitions may, however, beinducedin the interacting pair. The new symmetry of the electronic cloud of a collisional complex may be very different from those of the isolated molecules and thus commonly allows for a transient dipole, which then interacts with radiation. Collision-induced absorption increases quadratically in the low density limit, thus reflecting the two-body origin of the basic absorption process. At higher gas densities, ternary interactions become significant and cubic and higher-order contributions to the observable absorption are then commonly seen.