Generation of new aerosol particles and their evolution in atmospheric air: results of experiments in a Large Aerosol Chamber of RPA Typhoon
N.P. Romanov1, A.V. Alekseeva2, M.A. Vasilyeva3, S.N. Dubtsov4, V.N. Ivanov1, O.I. Ozols1, A.A. Paley2, Yu.V. Pisanko2,5, D.G. Sakhibgareev1
1Russian Federal Service on Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Research and Production Association В«Typhoon», Obninsk, Russia
2E.K. Fedorov Institute of Applied Geophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
3Russian University of Transport (MIIT), Moscow, Russia
4V.V. Voevodsky Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion of the Siberian Branch of the RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
5Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Dolgoprudnyiy, Russia
Keywords: aerosol particle, ions, precursor gas, nucleation, Large Aerosol Chamber of RPA “Typhoon”
Abstract
The results of experiments in the Large Aerosol Chamber of RPA Typhoon revealed the appearance of new aerosol particles larger than 15 nm in an aerosol-free volume of atmospheric air isolated from the external environment in darkness 20 min after the air purification. The generation of new particles is associated with the possible presence of gases - precursors in the atmospheric air. The gases-precursors turn into aerosols under the action of cosmic rays penetrating into the chamber. The experimentally derived particle size spectrum evolution (over several days) shows that the generation of new aerosol particles lasts no more than 20 hours. During the evolution, the particles become larger and reach more than 100 nm size. After repeated purification of the air inside the chamber with the removal of newly generated aerosols, no new particles were detected for 10 days.
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