Spectral resolved measurement of the nitrogen fluorescence emissions in air induced by electrons

For the calorimetric determination of the primary energy of extensive air showers, measured by fluorescence telescopes, a precise knowledge of the conversion factor (fluorescence yield) between the deposited energy in the atmosphere and the number of emitted fluorescence photons is essential. The fluorescence yield depends on the pressure and the temperature of the air as well as on the water vapor concentration. Within the scope of this work the fluorescence yield for the eight strongest nitrogen emission bands between 300 nm and 400 nm has been measured using electrons from a 90Sr-source with energies between 250 keV and 2000 keV. Measurements have been performed in dry air, pure nitrogen, and a nitrogen–oxygen mixture at pressures ranging from 2 hPa to 990 hPa. Furthermore the influence of water vapor has been studied. A new approach for the parametrization of the fluorescence yield was used to analyze the data, leading to a consistent description of the fluorescence yield with a minimal set of parameters. The resulting absolute accuracies for the single nitrogen bands are in the order of 15%. In the investigated energy range, the fluorescence yield proved to be independent of the energy of the ionizing electrons.