Three-step growth of vapor-deposited ice under mesospheric temperature and water vapor conditions

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sato, Reo, Noguchi, Kentaro, Koshida, Hiroyuki, Ishibashi, Atsuki, Hama, Tetsuya
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Sato, Reo
Noguchi, Kentaro
Koshida, Hiroyuki
Ishibashi, Atsuki
Hama, Tetsuya
author_facet Sato, Reo
Noguchi, Kentaro
Koshida, Hiroyuki
Ishibashi, Atsuki
Hama, Tetsuya
contents Polar mesospheric clouds provide clues to physicochemical processes in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. However, the heterogeneous nucleation and growth processes of water ice under polar mesospheric conditions are poorly understood, especially at the nanoscale. This study used reflection high energy electron diffraction and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy to analyze the structure of vapor-deposited ice at polar mesospheric temperature (120 K) under vapor pressure conditions. The ice appeared to grow in three steps during vapor deposition, being amorphous water for the first 15 nm, then cubic ice up to 50 nm, and finally hexagonal ice subsequently. This three step growth suggests that the three observed phases can coexist in polar mesospheric clouds, depending on the thickness of water ice. The finding of the three-step growth also shows that the Ostwald rule of stages can hold for vapor deposited ice at low temperature.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_18477
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Three-step growth of vapor-deposited ice under mesospheric temperature and water vapor conditions
Sato, Reo
Noguchi, Kentaro
Koshida, Hiroyuki
Ishibashi, Atsuki
Hama, Tetsuya
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Materials Science
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
Polar mesospheric clouds provide clues to physicochemical processes in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. However, the heterogeneous nucleation and growth processes of water ice under polar mesospheric conditions are poorly understood, especially at the nanoscale. This study used reflection high energy electron diffraction and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy to analyze the structure of vapor-deposited ice at polar mesospheric temperature (120 K) under vapor pressure conditions. The ice appeared to grow in three steps during vapor deposition, being amorphous water for the first 15 nm, then cubic ice up to 50 nm, and finally hexagonal ice subsequently. This three step growth suggests that the three observed phases can coexist in polar mesospheric clouds, depending on the thickness of water ice. The finding of the three-step growth also shows that the Ostwald rule of stages can hold for vapor deposited ice at low temperature.
title Three-step growth of vapor-deposited ice under mesospheric temperature and water vapor conditions
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Materials Science
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.18477