Observations of positively charged nanoparticles in the nighttime polar mesosphere

Abstract

We present results of in situ measurements of charged nanoparticles, electrons, and positive ions obtained during a sounding rocket flight in October 2004 from Kiruna, Sweden, under nighttime conditions. The particle measurement reveals positive charge signatures in the altitude range between 80 and 90 km corresponding to peak charge number densities of ∼100 e/cm3 at around 86 km. Aerodynamical analysis of the sampling efficiency of our instrument reveals that the particles must have been larger than 2 nm assuming spherical particles with a density of 3 g/cm3. The plasma environment of the observed particles is dominated by negative and positive ions, with only few free electrons. A calculation of the mean particle charge expected for particles in a plasma consisting of electrons and positive and negative ions shows that the presence of sufficiently heavy and numerous negative ions (i.e., mn, > 300 amu and λ ≥ 50) can explain the observed positive particle charge. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.