Investigating Earth’s Atmospheric Electricity: a Role Model for Planetary Studies

Aplin, Karen; Harrison, R. G.; Rycroft, M.J.

doi:10.1007/s11214-008-9372-x

Cited by 62 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…have extensively corroborated the concept of the global circuit, making it a useful explanatory framework for a wide range of phenomena (Aplin et al, 2008), indicating a CTR legacy far beyond the use of the cloud chamber in contemporary research. Indeed, the current flowing in the global circuit is referred to in modern literature as the Wilson current (Mach et al, 2011).…”

Section: Acknowledgementmentioning

confidence: 88%

The cloud chamber and CTR Wilson's legacy to atmospheric science

Harrison

2011

Weather

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Charles Thomas Rees (‘CTR’) Wilson (1869–1959) received the 1927 Nobel Prize for the cloud chamber, first described in a paper published a century ago. The cloud chamber makes high energy particles visible. Wilson's principal work was in atmospheric electricity at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, and his scientific legacy is both to particle physics and atmospheric science. In atmospheric electricity Wilson provided the ‘global circuit’ concept with which to understand the current flow between disturbed weather and fair weather regions elsewhere. The cloud chamber remains actively used in physics education and the global circuit is central in atmospheric electricity research. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society

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Section: Acknowledgementmentioning

confidence: 88%

The cloud chamber and CTR Wilson's legacy to atmospheric science

Harrison

2011

Weather

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“…Entirely different electrical processes may be involved, such as in the global circuit suggested for Mars (Fillingim 1986;Farrell and Desch 2001) which is driven by dust, or be associated with volcanic dust electrification (Houghton et al 2013). The basic electrical requirements for a planetary global circuit have been discussed by Aplin et al (2008), which are • upper and lower conductive regions • charge-separating processes • current flow Implied necessary conditions are (1) a sufficiently strong gravitational field to retain a gaseous atmosphere, and (2) proximity to energetic sources of radiation (e.g., a host star or a binary companion) which can form ionised layers in the atmosphere; ultraviolet and X-ray regions of the spectrum can create an ionosphere. Table 1 summarises the possible approaches which might be used to detect these necessary requirements.…”

Section: The Wilson Global Circuitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric Electrification in Dusty, Reactive Gases in the Solar System and Beyond

et al. 2016

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Detailed observations of the solar system planets reveal a wide variety of local atmospheric conditions. Astronomical observations have revealed a variety of extrasolar planets none of which resembles any of the solar system planets in full. Instead, the most massive amongst the extrasolar planets, the gas giants, appear very similar to the class of (young) brown dwarfs which are amongst the oldest objects in the Universe. Despite this diversity, solar system planets, extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs have broadly similar global temperatures between 300 and 2500 K. In consequence, clouds of different chemical species form in their atmospheres. While the details of these clouds differ, the fundamental physical processes are the same. Further to this, all these objects were observed to produce radio and X-ray emissions. While both kinds of radiation are well studied on Earth and to a lesser extent on the solar system planets, the occurrence of emissions that potentially originate from accelerated electrons on brown dwarfs, extrasolar planets and protoplanetary disks is not well understood yet. This paper offers an interdisciplinary view on electrification processes and their feedback on their hosting environment in meteorology, volcanology, planetology and research on extrasolar planets and planet formation.

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“…These particles were identified as ions following studies on radioactivity and electrical conduction in gases (see Aplin et al 2008). In early laboratory experiments, Wilson (1897Wilson ( , 1899 reported ion and particle formation in air and other gases in the presence of ultraviolet radiation and radioactive sources, and was the first to suggest that ions may be involved in atmospheric particle formation, and to realize the importance this could have for clouds (Galison 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropospheric New Particle Formation and the Role of Ions

2008

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Aerosol particles play an important role in the Earth's troposphere and in the climate system: They scatter and absorb solar radiation, facilitate chemical processes, and serve as condensation nuclei for the formation of clouds. Tropospheric aerosol particles are emitted from surface sources or form in situ from the gas phase. Formation from the gas phase requires concentrations of aerosol precursor molecules aggregating to form molecular clusters able to grow faster than they evaporate. This process is called nucleation. Gas phase ions can reduce the concentration of aerosol precursor molecules required for nucleation, as they greatly stabilize molecular clusters with respect to evaporation. Therefore, ions are a potential source of aerosol particles. Since atmospheric ionization carries the signal of the decadal solar cycle due to the modulation of the galactic cosmic ray intensity by solar activity, a possible connection between the solar cycle, galactic cosmic rays, aerosols, and clouds has been a long-standing focus of interest. In this paper, we provide an overview of theoretical, modeling, laboratory, and field work on the role and relevance of ions for the formation of tropospheric aerosol particles, and on subsequent effects on clouds, and discuss briefly related research needs.

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Investigating Earth’s Atmospheric Electricity: a Role Model for Planetary Studies

Cited by 62 publications

References 75 publications

The cloud chamber and CTR Wilson's legacy to atmospheric science

The cloud chamber and CTR Wilson's legacy to atmospheric science

Atmospheric Electrification in Dusty, Reactive Gases in the Solar System and Beyond

Tropospheric New Particle Formation and the Role of Ions

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