SPIN modification for low-temperature experiments

Abstract

The SPectrometer for Ice Nuclei (SPIN) has been modified to access ice nucleation at low temperatures. The modification consists of a reconfiguration of components from SPIN's cooling system to provide refrigerant with a low boiling point to the chamber. We describe the setup modification and determine the temperature and humidity range accessible to experiments. The modification extends the measurement range of SPIN to 208 K, which enables measurements in the temperature regime relevant for ice formation in cirrus clouds. This addition of low-temperature capability allows for far more comprehensive measurements of the temperature- and humidity-dependent ice nucleation of test substances, to investigate fundamentals of ice nucleation mechanisms. We present exemplary data of heterogeneous ice nucleation on silver iodide and homogeneous ice nucleation in solution droplets to demonstrate the usefulness of the modified SPIN setup for precision measurements to detect discrepancies between experiments and widely used theories.