Charge separation and isolation in strong water droplet impacts
2015 | journal article
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Charge separation and isolation in strong water droplet impacts
Wiederschein, F. ; Vöhringer-Martinez, E.; Beinsen, A.; Postberg, F.; Schmidt, J. ; Srama, R. & Stolz, F. et al. (2015)
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 17(10) pp. 6858-6864. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C4CP05618C
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Details
- Authors
- Wiederschein, F. ; Vöhringer-Martinez, E.; Beinsen, A.; Postberg, F.; Schmidt, J. ; Srama, R.; Stolz, F.; Grubmüller, H. ; Abel, B.
- Abstract
- Charge separation in condensed matter after strong impacts is a general and intriguing phenomenon in nature, which is often identified and described but not necessarily well understood in terms of a quantitative mechanistic picture. Here we show that charge separation naturally occurs if water droplets/clusters or ice particles with embedded charge carriers, e.g., ions, encounter a high energy impact with subsequent dispersion – even if the involved kinetic energy is significantly below the molecular ionization energy. We find that for low charge carrier concentrations (co0.01 mol L) a simple statistical Poisson model describes the charge distribution in the resulting molecular ‘‘fragments’’ or aggregates. At higher concentrations Coulomb interactions between the charge carriers become relevant, which we describe by a Monte Carlo approach. Our models are compared to experimental data for strong (laser) impacts on liquid micro beams and discussed for the charge generation in cluster-impact mass spectrometry on cosmic dust detectors where particle kinetic energies are below the plasma threshold. Taken together, a simple and intuitive but quantitative microscopic model is obtained, which may contribute to the understanding of a larger range of phenomena related to charge generation and separation in nature.
- Issue Date
- 2015
- Journal
- Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
- ISSN
- 1463-9076
- eISSN
- 1463-9084
- Language
- English