Articles | Volume 13, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3191-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3191-2020
Research article
 | 
18 Jun 2020
Research article |  | 18 Jun 2020

Photophoretic spectroscopy in atmospheric chemistry – high-sensitivity measurements of light absorption by a single particle

Nir Bluvshtein, Ulrich K. Krieger, and Thomas Peter

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Cited articles

Arnold, S., Amani, Y., and Orenstein, A.: Photophoretic spectrometer, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 51, 1202–1204, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1136395, 1980. 
Beresnev, S., Chernyak, V., and Fomyagin, G.: Photophoresis of a spherical particle in a rarefied gas, Phys. Fluid. A, 5, 2043–2052, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.858540, 1992. 
Birdsall, A. W., Krieger, U. K., and Keutsch, F. N.: Electrodynamic balance–mass spectrometry of single particles as a new platform for atmospheric chemistry research, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 33–47, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-33-2018, 2018. 
Bluvshtein, N., Flores, J. M., Segev, L., and Rudich, Y.: A new approach for retrieving the UV–vis optical properties of ambient aerosols, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 3477–3490, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-3477-2016, 2016. 
Bluvshtein, N., Krieger, U., and Peter, T.: Photophoretic spectroscopy in atmospheric chemistry – high-sensitivity measurements of light absorption by a single particle, ETH Zurich, https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000419840, 2020. 
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Short summary
Light-absorbing organic particles undergo transformations during their exposure in the atmosphere. The role these particles play in the global radiative balance is uncertain. This study describes high-sensitivity and high-precision measurements of light absorption by a single particle levitated in an electrodynamic balance. This high level of sensitivity enables future studies to explore the major processes responsible for changes to the particle's light absorptivity.
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