VELOCITY AND ANGULAR-DISTRIBUTIONS OF MOLECULES EMITTED FROM A LIQUIDSURFACE

Evaporation from the surface of a liquid is considered from the viewpo ints of the kinetic theory of gases, capillary-wave theory, and statis tical reaction-rate theory. The velocity vectors of molecules emitted from a planar surface are concentrated around the normal to the surfac e and their Velocity distribution is non-Maxwellian. The abnormal velo city distribution and high mean kinetic energy of molecules emitted fr om a liquid surface provide a mechanism for coupling of heat and matte r fluxes in the gas within a few mean paths of the surface.