Light scattering by aerosol particles and air in the molecular condensation nuclei (MCN) detector

Author(s):  
Vladimir D. Kuptsov ◽  
Vadim Y. Katelevsky ◽  
Vladimir P. Valyukhov ◽  
Evgeniy N. Rybin
Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 466
Author(s):  
Aimable Kalume ◽  
Chuji Wang ◽  
Yongle Pan

We present a broad assessment on the studies of optically-trapped single airborne aerosol particles, particularly chemical aerosol particles, using laser technologies. To date, extensive works have been conducted on ensembles of aerosols as well as on their analogous bulk samples, and a decent general description of airborne particles has been drawn and accepted. However, substantial discrepancies between observed and expected aerosols behavior have been reported. To fill this gap, single-particle investigation has proved to be a unique intersection leading to a clear representation of microproperties and size-dependent comportment affecting the overall aerosol behavior, under various environmental conditions. In order to achieve this objective, optical-trapping technologies allow holding and manipulating a single aerosol particle, while offering significant advantages such as contactless handling, free from sample collection and preparation, prevention of contamination, versatility to any type of aerosol, and flexibility to accommodation of various analytical systems. We review spectroscopic methods that are based on the light-particle interaction, including elastic light scattering, light absorption (cavity ring-down and photoacoustic spectroscopies), inelastic light scattering and emission (Raman, laser-induced breakdown, and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopies), and digital holography. Laser technologies offer several benefits such as high speed, high selectivity, high accuracy, and the ability to perform in real-time, in situ. This review, in particular, discusses each method, highlights the advantages and limitations, early breakthroughs, and recent progresses that have contributed to a better understanding of single particles and particle ensembles in general.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 11289-11302
Author(s):  
Imre Salma ◽  
Wanda Thén ◽  
Máté Vörösmarty ◽  
András Zénó Gyöngyösi

Abstract. Collocated measurements using a condensation particle counter, differential mobility particle sizer and cloud condensation nuclei counter were realised in parallel in central Budapest from 15 April 2019 to 14 April 2020 to gain insight into the cloud activation properties of urban aerosol particles. The median total particle number concentration was 10.1 × 103 cm−3. The median concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) at water vapour supersaturation (S) values of 0.1 %, 0.2 %, 0.3 %, 0.5 % and 1.0 % were 0.59, 1.09, 1.39, 1.80 and 2.5 × 103 cm−3, respectively. The CCN concentrations represented 7–27 % of all particles. The CCN concentrations were considerably larger but the activation fractions were systematically substantially smaller than observed in regional or remote locations. The effective critical dry particle diameters (dc,eff) were derived utilising the CCN concentrations and particle number size distributions. Their median values at the five supersaturation values considered were 207, 149, 126, 105 and 80 nm, respectively; all of these diameters were positioned within the accumulation mode of the typical particle number size distribution. Their frequency distributions revealed a single peak for which the geometric standard deviation increased monotonically with S. This broadening indicated high time variability in the activating properties of smaller particles. The frequency distributions also showed fine structure, with several compositional elements that seemed to reveal a consistent or monotonical tendency with S. The relationships between the critical S and dc,eff suggest that urban aerosol particles in Budapest with diameters larger than approximately 130 nm showed similar hydroscopicity to corresponding continental aerosol particles, whereas smaller particles in Budapest were less hygroscopic than corresponding continental aerosol particles. Only modest seasonal cycling in CCN concentrations and activation fractions was seen, and only for large S values. This cycling likely reflects changes in the number concentration, chemical composition and mixing state of the particles. The seasonal dependencies of dc,eff were featureless, indicating that the droplet activation properties of the urban particles remained more or less the same throughout the year. This is again different from what is seen in non-urban locations. Hygroscopicity parameters (κ values) were computed without determining the time-dependent chemical composition of the particles. The median values for κ were 0.15, 0.10, 0.07, 0.04 and 0.02, respectively, at the five supersaturation values considered. The averages suggested that the larger particles were considerably more hygroscopic than the smaller particles. We found that the κ values for the urban aerosol were substantially smaller than those previously reported for aerosols in regional or remote locations. All of these characteristics can be linked to the specific source composition of particles in cities. The relatively large variability in the hygroscopicity parameters for a given S emphasises that the individual values represent the CCN population in ambient air while the average hygroscopicity parameter mainly corresponds to particles with sizes close to the effective critical dry particle diameter.


2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 0629001 ◽  
Author(s):  
张小林 Zhang Xiaolin ◽  
黄印博 Huang Yinbo ◽  
饶瑞中 Rao Ruizhong

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Pandolfi ◽  
Lucas Alados-Arboledas ◽  
Andrés Alastuey ◽  
Marcos Andrade ◽  
Begoña Artiñano ◽  
...  

Abstract. This paper presents the light scattering properties of atmospheric aerosol particles measured over the past decade at 28 ACTRIS observatories, located mainly in Europe. The data include particle light scattering (σsp) and hemispheric backscattering (σbsp) coefficients, scattering Ångström exponent (SAE), backscatter fraction (BF) and asymmetry parameter (g). A large range of ssp was observed across the network. Low ssp values were on average measured in Nordic and Baltic countries and in Western Europe whereas the highest σsp were measured at regional sites in eastern and central Europe. In these regional areas the SAE was also high indicating the predominance of fine-mode particles. On average, the SAE was lower in the Nordic and Baltic, western and southern countries suggesting a lower fraction of fine-mode particle compared to central and eastern Europe. An increasing gradient of ssp was observed when moving from mountain to regional and to urban sites. Conversely, the mass-independent SAE and g parameters did not show the same gradient. At all sites, both SAE and g varied greatly with aerosol particle loading. The lowest values of g were always observed under low ssp indicating a larger contribution from particles in the smaller accumulation mode. Then, g steeply increased with increasing ssp indicating a progressive shift of the particle size distribution toward the larger end of the accumulation mode. Under periods of high particle mass concentrations, the variation of g was less pronounced whereas the SAE increased or decreased suggesting changes mostly in the coarse aerosol particles mode rather than in the fine mode. The station placement seemed to be the main parameter affecting the intra-annual variability. At mountain sites, higher σsp was measured in summer mainly because of the enhanced boundary layer influence. Conversely, less horizontal and vertical dispersion in winter led to higher σsp at all low altitude sites in central and eastern Europe compared to summer. On average, these sites also showed SAE maxima in summer (and correspondingly g minima). Large intra-annual variability of SAE and g was observed also at Nordic and Baltic countries due to seasonal-dependent transport of different air masses to these remote sites. Statistically significant decreasing trends of σsp were observed at 5 out of 13 stations included in trend analyses. The total reductions of ssp were consistent with those reported for PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations over similar periods across Europe.


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