PHOTOINDUCED NUCLEATION IN SUPERSATURATED MERCURY-VAPOR

Photoinduced nucleation of mercury vapor is studied experimentally in an upward thermal diffusion cloud chamber. The rate of nucleation is g reatly increased when the supersaturated vapor is illuminated with lig ht absorbed by the vapor molecules. In analogy to ion-induced nucleati on the photoinduced nucleation can be explained as a general effect fo r all condensing atoms or molecules forming long living; electronicall y excited states, (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.