Mean field theory for condensation on aerosols and application to the formation of multicomponent organic aerosols

摘要

When vapour molecules are evaporating or condensing on an aerosol,we can ask the basic question as to whether the vapour equilibrates with the aerosol as a whole,or with individual particles.Whilst most authors have assumed that the vapour concentration is kept uniform and only overall equilibration occurs (e.g.Clement 1985),some recent theories have been based on the equilibration of particles with their surrounding volume of vapour ( Shiba et al 2001,2002;Anttila and Kerminen 2003).In this work (Clement 2003) we show that,except for dense aerosols containing large particles,vapour diffusion keeps the concentration uniform and only overall equilibration is possible.The consequences for the formation of multicomponent organic aerosols in the atmosphere are explored.