A temperature- and composition-dependent study of H2SO4 aerosol optical constants using Fourier transform and tunable diode laser infrared spectroscopy

Frequency-dependent optical constants have been determined from the Fourier transform infrared spectra of laboratory-generated liquid sulfuric acid/water aerosols over a range of temperatures and compositions that are relevant to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere of Earth. The compositions of the particles were determined in situ using a tunable diode laser to monitor equilibrium water vapor pressures, The infrared complex refractive indices of sulfuric acid are shown to be strongly dependent on temperature and composition, because of changes in the equilibrium between sulfate and bisulfate ions. Results from this study also have implications in understanding: the temperature dependence of intermolecular interactions within ionic solutions. The database presented here is the most extensive yet available for the liquid solutions of sulfuric acid.