Research article | Highlight paper |
| 20 Jun 2023
Particle shapes and infrared extinction spectra of nitric acid dihydrate (NAD) crystals: optical constants of the β-NAD modification
Robert Wagner,Alexander D. James,Victoria L. Frankland,Ottmar Möhler,Benjamin J. Murray,John M. C. Plane,Harald Saathoff,Ralf Weigel,and Martin Schnaiter
Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) catalyze ozone depletion at high latitudes with important impacts on energetic, biologically effective UV radiation. The present study is a unique experiment into PSC particle optical properties and formation performed in a large, coolable cloud chamber. Robert Wagner and his colleagues find evidence that a nitric acid dihydrate can be efficiently crystallized in PSCs through heterogeneous nucleation, for example by mineral dust or micrometeorites. It has a "beta-polymorph" crystalline structure - with distinct optical properties - clearly separable from an alpha-polymorph that forms at low temperatures through homogeneous nucleation. Interestingly, electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and calculations all point to the same conclusion. The results have important implications for our understanding and the detection of PSCs.
Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) catalyze ozone depletion at high latitudes with important...
Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) play an important role in the depletion of stratospheric ozone. They can consist of different chemical species, including crystalline nitric acid hydrates. We found that mineral dust or meteoric ablation material can efficiently catalyse the formation of a specific phase of nitric acid dihydrate crystals. We determined predominant particle shapes and infrared optical properties of these crystals, which are important inputs for remote sensing detection of PSCs.
Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) play an important role in the depletion of stratospheric...