Charged particles in the atmosphere

Charged particles represent a negligible fraction of the total mass of the atmosphere, however, in spite of this, they are of major importance in geophysical processes. Different types of radiation contribute to their origin, such as ultraviolet radiation. X-rays, and high-energy cosmic rays, emitted from the sun and from sources beyond the solar system. In the close vicinity of the earth s surface, the radioactive decay of the earth s crust components also contributes to the production of charged particles. 

The region with altitudes exceeding 60 km is named the ionosphere, and it may be divided into D,E,F, F2 layers [12]  

In the D-layer, the concentration of free electrons is lower than that of positive ions. This means that the layer also contains negative ions, with NO and CO being the most important ones. Among the positive ions, NO and H are prevalent. 

In the E- and F-layers, the negative ions are absent thus, in order to achieve charge neutrality, the sum of concentrations of positive ions must equal the electron concentration. During the photoionization of components present in these layers, the ions, 0, are formed. 

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