Unipolar and bipolar aerosol charging as time continuous Markov processes

TL;DR

This paper models aerosol particle charging as continuous-time Markov processes, introducing a new numeric method for analyzing charge evolution and applying ergodicity to find stationary charge distributions.

Contribution

It presents a novel numeric approach for modeling aerosol charging processes using continuous-time Markov processes, with modular implementation and application to bipolar charging.

Findings

New numeric method for charge process calculation

Modular approach allows easy adaptation

Application of ergodicity to stationary distributions

Abstract

The acquisition of charge by aerosol particles is well-known to be stochastic in nature. We review the principles of charging using the conceptually and computationally clear language of continuous time Markov processes. A novel numeric approach is presented that can be used to calculate the time evolution of various particle charging processes. Its modular character makes it easy to implement and allows for quick adaptation to specific problems. We conclude with the application of ergodicity for finite state-space Markov processes in order to determine stationary charge distributions in case of bipolar charging.