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Inertia Induces Strong Orientation Fluctuations of Nonspherical Atmospheric Particles
Summary
Researchers experimentally demonstrated that heavy, nonspherical particles settling in still air exhibit decaying orientation oscillations, while the same particles in liquids relax smoothly without oscillating. Theoretical analysis revealed that these oscillations are driven by particle inertia due to the large mass-density ratio between the particles and air. The findings are relevant for modeling the behavior of atmospheric particles like volcanic ash and ice crystals, which influence climate and weather patterns.
The orientation of nonspherical particles in the atmosphere, such as volcanic ash and ice crystals, influences their residence times and the radiative properties of the atmosphere. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that the orientation of heavy submillimeter spheroids settling in still air exhibits decaying oscillations, whereas it relaxes monotonically in liquids. Theoretical analysis shows that these oscillations are due to particle inertia, caused by the large particle-fluid mass-density ratio. This effect must be accounted for to model solid particles in the atmosphere.
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