The Spontaneous Condensation of Vapour and the Formation of Condensation Aerosols

The development of the theory of spontaneous condensation of vapour, experimental studies of this phenomenon, and the use of the theoretical results for calculations on the formation of condensation aerosols are reviewed. The difficulty of calculating the free energy of formation of the nuclei of a new phase is examined in detail, and particular attention is paid to the problem of the contribution made by external degrees of freedom to the free energy. The problem of the existence of limiting supersaturation is discussed. Existing methods for the study of spontaneous condensation and the results obtained by these methods are examined critically. The bibliography contains 191 references.