Scattering on Excited Ions as a Reason for Detecting Imaginary Aerosols in the Middle Atmosphere

Results of two-frequency lidar sounding of the atmosphere in the altitude range 25–600 km at the Kamchatka lidar station (52°58′17″ N, 158°15′07″ E) are discussed. The possibility of a manifestation of resonance scattering in the formation of imaginary aerosols in the middle atmosphere is studied. Examples are given where strong scattering at wavelengths of 532.08 and 561.106 nm in the middle atmosphere can be explained by resonance scattering on excited ions of atomic oxygen and nitrogen. These ions may appear as a result of the ionization of the atmosphere by relativistic electrons.