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The effects of surface curvature and temperature on charge transfer during ice-ice collisions.
  • Gary John Turner
Gary John Turner
Physics Department, University of Auckland

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Charging of colliding ice matched somewhat a study (Mason & Dash, 2000, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JD900104) in which there was qualitative agreement with a prediction of Baker and Dash, (1989, https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0248(89)90581-2 1994, https://doi.org/10.1029/93JD01633) based on the proposal by Turner and Stow (1984, https://doi.org/10.1080/01418618408236549). The magnitude (a few picoCoulombs) of the transferred charge Q observed by Mason and Dash (2000) between two similar surfaces 0.5mm thick but of differing temperatures, raised doubt that charge transfer is solely a surface-layer effect in such non-equilibrium conditions. Here, during repeated collisions between an ice bead and a sheet each of order 3 mm thickness, the lack of dependence of charge transfer on common temperature, and the polarity of the pieces upon separation, is consistent with the earlier results over a greater range of temperature (235K to 268K) if the conjecture by Dash et al (2006, https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.78.695) that the mass transfer could be driven by differences in curvature. The positive charge would be transported in the mass carried along the QLL on the surface of connecting spicules. The transfer of kinetic energy is estimated to be a factor of 104 greater than in the study by (Mason & Dash, 2000, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JD900104) such that this result constrains the effect of postulating (Dash et al, 2001, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD900109) collisional melting.