Abstract
It could be shown by measurements of the air conductivity and using a mean profile for the ionization rate that experimental and theoretical values of the recombination rate of small ions based on a three body recombination process (Thomson) are in very good agreement up to 20 km altitude. The divergency of the experimental and theoretical curves above 20 km can be interpreted by assuming that there exists in this altitude region a crossover from the three body recombination to a two body recombination process. The value of the recombination coefficient is about 4·10−7 cm3 s−1 in 25 km altitude, compared with 1.4·10−6 cm3 s−1 at ground level. Furtheron it was possible for the first time to get some experimental data of attachment coefficients up to 13 km from simultaneous measurements of the air conductivity and Aitken nuclei concentration. These values are in good agreement with those obtained by theoretical considerations.
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Gringel, W., Käselau, K.H. & Mühleisen, R. Recombination rates of small ions and their attachment to aerosol particles. PAGEOPH 116, 1101–1113 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00874674
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00874674