Presentation
3 October 2022 Measuring charging and discharging rates of isolated aerosol particles
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Using optical tweezers, we isolate individual aerosol particles in order to study their charging dynamics. Preliminary results suggest that the rate at which particles charge depends on material, surface area, and most importantly, the humidity of the surrounding air. We hypothesize that charging occurs due to preferential adsorption/desorption of OH- or H+ ions. Further still, when we artificially increase the number of ions surrounding our particle, we observe rapid discharging. These results could have important implications to numerous fields including cloud formation and dust storm electrification, through to pollination; anywhere micro-particle charging plays a crucial role.
Conference Presentation
© (2022) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Isaac C. D. Lenton, Andrea Stöllner, and Scott R. Waitukaitis "Measuring charging and discharging rates of isolated aerosol particles", Proc. SPIE PC12198, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation XIX, PC121980P (3 October 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2635127
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KEYWORDS
Atmospheric particles

Aerosols

Ions

Liquids

Optical tweezers

Solids

Electric field sensors

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