Abstract
The clustering of fine particles by mutual thermal collisions is investigated experimentally. Fine particles are prepared in an argon gas atmosphere by the gas evaporation technique. Mass distributions of clusters of the particles are obtained from micrographs of specimen grids placed at different heights above the evaporating source. The cluster growth is clearly seen in the change of mass distribution with height. A comparison of the experimental results with a theoretical model indicates that the cluster of fine particles does not grow in the spherical manner usually assumed, but in a planar manner. As an important consequence of the conclusion to the primordial solar nebula, the sedimentation time of the grains sinking towards the equatorial plane of the solar disk becomes longer than the value previously adopted because of the large ratio of surface to volume of a planar cluster. This longer time should alter the scenario of the evolution of the solar system after sedimentation.
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Invited contribution to the Proceedings of a Workshop onThermodynamics and Kinetics of Dust Formation in the Space medium held at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, 6–8 September, 1978.
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Onaka, T., Nakada, Y. & Kamijo, F. Experiment on the clustering of fine particles. Astrophys Space Sci 65, 103–117 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00643493
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00643493