Laser vaporization of cirrus-like ice particles with secondary ice multiplication.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27386537.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.1501912 and PMC identifier 4928985.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
We investigate the interaction of ultrashort laser filaments with individual 90-μm ice particles, representative of cirrus particles. The ice particles fragment under laser illumination. By monitoring the evolution of the corresponding ice/vapor system at up to 140,000 frames per second over 30 ms, we conclude that a shockwave vaporization supersaturates the neighboring region relative to ice, allowing the nucleation and growth of new ice particles, supported by laser-induced plasma photochemistry. This process constitutes the first direct observation of filament-induced secondary ice multiplication, a process that strongly modifies the particle size distribution and, thus, the albedo of typical cirrus clouds.
Medical subject headings
- Ice
- Lasers
- Models, Theoretical
- Volatilization