Investigations of potassium, lithium, and sodium emission in the nightglowand OH cross calibration

Sky spectra from the high-resolution echelle spectrometer (HIRES) on the Ke ck I telescope have been analyzed to obtain information on the potassium, l ithium, and sodium resonance line emission in the nightglow. Relative inten sity calibration is carried out against OH band intensities, and absolute v alues are obtained by utilizing new averaged intensities of the OH 9-4 band . The D-1 line of potassium, at 7699 A, is shown to be present, as previous ly speculated by Swider [1987]. Its average intensity is 1.0 R, twice as la rge as predicted. Any lithium line emission at the resonance wavelengths ne ar 6708 Angstrom is obscured by the P-P(3) line of the 12-9 emission band o f the O-2 (b(1)Sigma(g)(+)-X(3)Sigma(g)(-)) Atmospheric Band system. Howeve r, as that line has an intensity of similar to 60 mR, our estimated upper l imit on the Li line intensities is similar to 15 mR. The intensity that we extract for the Na(D-1) line, averaged over 4 years, is 20 R. Although ther e is no solar scattering contribution to the Na and K data, the Na D-2/D-1 line intensity ratio is substantially smaller than reported earlier for nig htglow conditions. Observing that the Na/K D-1 line intensity ratio is an o rder of magnitude smaller than the typical [Na]/[K] concentration ratio lea ds to the conclusion that the maximum efficiency for production of mesosphe ric Na(P-2) is 0.1.