ABSTRACT
The literature on atmospheric atomic and molecular processes is, perhaps unsurprisingly, heavily populated with photochemical studies. A number of important extraterrestrial atmospheric processes are also thought to be mediated by low-energy electrons. Low-energy-electron-induced processes in the terrestrial atmosphere may influence a wide range of complex phenomena, including chemical reactions. Low-energy electrons are hypothesized to play an important role in infrared auroral emissions. According to a hypothesis proposed at the turn of the 21st century, low-energy electrons produced by cosmic rays, in addition to UVV is photons from the sun, interact with chlorofluorocarbons to produce chlorine atoms that subsequently destroy ozone in the Antarctic. Low-energy electron-induced mechanisms play a pivotal role in high-energy radiation-induced processes, which are central to both terrestrial and extraterrestrial atmospheric changes. However, the relative importance of low-energy electrons in specific atmospheric processes is difficult to quantify.
