A Comparison of Methods for Calculating O(1S) Lifetimes

Abstract

It is shown theoretically and with simulated data that O(lS) lifetimes determined by the cross-spectral method (Paulson and Shepherd 1965) are significant overestimates. A comparison is made of the cross-spectral and impulse function analysis (Burns and Reid 1984) methods using photometric data collected at Macquarie Island (54. 50S, l59·00E geographic). The results support the view that the O(lS) state is excited predominantly by an indirect process.