PACS. 12.20 -Models of electromagnetic interactions.PACS. 14.80 -Other and hypothetical particles. PACS. 41.90 -Other topics in electricity and magnetism.

The influence of the attractive potential between a drop and a vapor molecule on the rate of nucleation is investigated by considering its effect on the drop's capture cross section for a molecule. Previously unsuspected effects that may occur under certain conditions are revealed. In particular, as the carrier gas pressure is increased, there may be a strong decrease in the nucleation rate.

By simple Monte Carlo simulation it is demonstrated that the capture of vapor molecules by a drop is affected by a dense background gas far from the Knudsen regime, and deep within the free molecule regime. The corresponding effect on steady-state nucleation is considered. For several representative examples the slopes of critical supersaturation vs carrier gas pressure are obtained and compared with experimental data.

No abstract

We derive the rate of the capture of a molecule from the surrounding dilute vapor by a drop with a realistic attraction potential. For a small drop, which is of interest in the vapor phase nucleation theory, the result is substantially different from the conventional one.