AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Surface Charge Effects on the Dynamics of Electrodynamically Confined Particles
MATTHEW B. HART, Vasanthi Sivaprakasam, Lee J. Johnson, Jay D. Eversole, Naval Research Laboratory
Abstract Number: 404 Working Group: Aerosol Physics
Abstract While studying evaporation rates of electrodynamically confined droplets we have observed several phenomena linked to the surface charge of the droplets. These include the sudden reduction in total charge of the droplet and dynamic instabilities in the scattering of light from the droplet leading up to the moment of this sudden change in charge. Among other possible influences, it is theorized that surface charge affects the surface tension of liquids, and thus may play an important role in the evaporation of aerosol droplets and their overall fate in the atmosphere. We use a linear quadrupole apparatus that confines charged particles at the center of a horizontally oriented plane within an environmentally controlled enclosure. The particles are held steady in the vertical dimension by balancing forces that result from the particle mass, an airflow and electrostatic repulsion. The mechanisms of this technique, such as the airflow and electrodynamic confinement, may also play a part in what we observe. We present data showing the observed phenomena and discuss possible aspects in which surface charge may play a role.