A Study of the Hydration Properties of Selected Laser Dye Aerosols Including Continuous-Flow Parallel Plate and Alternating-Gradient Thermal Diffusion Cloud Chamber Measurements in the High Supersaturation Regime

Abstract

The hydration behavior of aerosols, made up of various fluorescent dyes, when exposed to water saturation or supersaturated conditions has been studied. Critical supersaturation spectra are reported. The dyes are found to behave as high molecular weight ionic compounds that obey Kohler theory. Their relevant Kohler parameters are measured. This study makes use of and compares results from the isothermal haze, continuous-flow, and alternating-gradient thermal diffusion cloud chambers. The ability of the continuous-flow thermal diffusion chamber to operate correctly at high supersaturations is shown.