lnstitut für Sensorik und Elektronik
Dauerhafte URI für die Sammlunghttps://irf.fhnw.ch/handle/11654/28068
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Ergebnisse nach Hochschule und Institut
Publikation High order dynamic mode decomposition for mechanical vibrations and modal analysis(HAL, 2023) Tuor, Andreas; Canzani, Nico; Rüggeberg, Tobias; Gorenflo, Stefan; Simons, Gerd; Bättig, Bruno; Iseli, Daniel05 - Forschungs- oder ArbeitsberichtPublikation Development of a waveguide-based interferometer for the measurement of trace substances(Zenodo, 07.11.2023) Weingartner, Ernest; Bilal, Jonas; Steigmeier, Peter; Jundt, Gregor; Häusler, Samuel; Lenner, Miklós; Flöry, Nikolaus; Bittner, Matthias; Betschon, FelixPhotonic integration on a chip has the potential to develop new low-cost, high-performance sensing devices. A proof of concept of the sensing capabilities of a waveguide-based photothermal interferometer for the measurement of traces of light-absorbing substances (soot particles, gases) has been achieved. The measurement principle can also be extended to a wide range of other applications such as refractive index measurements, or vibration/distance sensors. A unique feature is that the waveguide technology allows for a passive operation of the interferometer, i.e., no quadrature point control is required.04B - Beitrag KonferenzschriftPublikation The white-light humidified optical particle spectrometer (WHOPS) - a novel airborne system to characterize aerosol hygroscopicity(Copernicus, 2015) Rosati, Bernadette; Wehrle, Günther; Gysel, Martin; Zieger, Paul; Baltensperger, Urs; Weingartner, ErnestAerosol particles experience hygroscopic growth at enhanced relative humidity (RH), which leads to changes in their optical properties. We developed the white-light humidified optical particle spectrometer (WHOPS), a new instrument to investigate the particles' hygroscopic growth. Here we present a detailed technical description and characterization of the WHOPS in laboratory and field experiments. The WHOPS consists of a differential mobility analyzer, a humidifier/bypass and a white-light aerosol spectrometer (WELAS) connected in series to provide fast measurements of particle hygroscopicity at subsaturated RH and optical properties on airborne platforms. The WELAS employs a white-light source to minimize ambiguities in the optical particle sizing. In contrast to other hygroscopicity instruments, the WHOPS retrieves information of relatively large particles (i.e., diameter D > 280 nm), therefore investigating the more optically relevant size ranges. The effective index of refraction of the dry particles is retrieved from the optical diameter measured for size-selected aerosol samples with a well-defined dry mobility diameter. The data analysis approach for the optical sizing and retrieval of the index of refraction was extensively tested in laboratory experiments with polystyrene latex size standards and ammonium sulfate particles of different diameters. The hygroscopic growth factor (GF) distribution and aerosol mixing state is inferred from the optical size distribution measured for the size-selected and humidified aerosol sample. Laboratory experiments with pure ammonium sulfate particles revealed good agreement with Köhler theory (mean bias of ~3% and maximal deviation of 8% for GFs at RH = 95%). During first airborne measurements in the Netherlands, GFs (mean value of the GF distribution) at RH = 95% between 1.79 and 2.43 with a median of 2.02 were observed for particles with a dry diameter of 500 nm. This corresponds to hygroscopicity parameters (κ) between 0.25 and 0.75 with a median of 0.38. The GF distributions indicate externally mixed particles covering the whole range of GFs between ~1.0 and 3.0. On average, ~74% of the 500 nm particles had GFs > 1.5, ~15% had GF < 1.1 and the remaining ~1% showed values of 1.1 < GF < 1.5. The more hygroscopic mode sometimes peaked at GF > 2, indicating influence of sea-salt particles, consistent with previous ground-based particle hygroscopicity measurements in this area. The mean dry effective index of refraction for 500 nm particles was found to be rather constant with a value of 1.42 ± 0.04 (mean ± 1SD).01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Studying the vertical aerosol extinction coefficient by comparing in situ airborne data and elastic backscatter lidar(Copernicus, 2016) Rosati, Bernadette; Herrmann, Erik; Bucci, Silvia; Fierli, Federico; Cairo, Francesco; Gysel, Martin; Tillmann, Ralf; Größ, Johannes; Gobbi, Gian Paolo; Di Liberto, Luca; Di Donfrancesco, Guido; Wiedensohler, Alfred; Weingartner, Ernest; Virtanen, Annele; Mentel, Thomas F.; Baltensperger, UrsVertical profiles of aerosol particle optical properties were explored in a case study near the San Pietro Capofiume (SPC) ground station during the PEGASOS Po Valley campaign in the summer of 2012. A Zeppelin NT airship was employed to investigate the effect of the dynamics of the planetary boundary layer at altitudes between ∼ 50 and 800 m above ground. Determined properties included the aerosol particle size distribution, the hygroscopic growth factor, the effective index of refraction and the light absorption coefficient. The first three parameters were used to retrieve the light scattering coefficient. Simultaneously, direct measurements of both the scattering and absorption coefficient were carried out at the SPC ground station. Additionally, a single wavelength polarization diversity elastic lidar system provided estimates of aerosol extinction coefficients using the Klett method to accomplish the inversion of the signal, for a vertically resolved comparison between in situ and remote-sensing results. Note, however, that the comparison was for the most part done in the altitude range where the overlap function is incomplete and accordingly uncertainties are larger. First, the airborne results at low altitudes were validated with the ground measurements. Agreement within approximately ±25 and ±20 % was found for the dry scattering and absorption coefficient, respectively. The single scattering albedo, ranged between 0.83 and 0.95, indicating the importance of the absorbing particles in the Po Valley region. A clear layering of the atmosphere was observed during the beginning of the flight (until ∼ 10:00 LT – local time) before the mixing layer (ML) was fully developed. Highest extinction coefficients were found at low altitudes, in the new ML, while values in the residual layer, which could be probed at the beginning of the flight at elevated altitudes, were lower. At the end of the flight (after ∼ 12:00 LT) the ML was fully developed, resulting in constant extinction coefficients at all altitudes measured on the Zeppelin NT. Lidar estimates captured these dynamic features well and good agreement was found for the extinction coefficients compared to the in situ results, using fixed lidar ratios (LR) between 30 and 70 sr for the altitudes probed with the Zeppelin. These LR are consistent with values for continental aerosol particles that can be expected in this region.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Dual-wavelength light-scattering technique for selective detection of volcanic ash particles in the presence of water droplets(Copernicus, 2015) Jurányi, Zsófia; Burtscher, Heinz; Loepfe, Markus; Nenkov, Maxim; Weingartner, ErnestA new method is presented in this paper which analyses the scattered light of individual aerosol particles simultaneously at two different wavelengths in order to retrieve information on the particle type. We show that dust-like particles, such as volcanic ash, can be unambiguously discriminated from water droplets on a single-particle level. As a future application of this method, the detection of volcanic ash particles should be possible in a humid atmosphere in the presence of cloud droplets. The characteristic behaviour of pure water's refractive index can be used to separate water droplets and dust-like particles which are commonly found in the micrometre size range in the ambient air. The low real part of the water's refractive index around 2700–2800 nm results in low scattered light intensities compared to e.g. the visible wavelength range, and this feature can be used for the desired particle identification. The two-wavelength measurement set-up was theoretically and experimentally tested and studied. Theoretical calculations were done using Mie theory. Comparing the ratio of the scattered light at the two wavelengths (visible-to-IR (infrared), R value) for water droplets and different dust types (basalt, andesite, African mineral dust, sand, volcanic ash, pumice) showed at least 9-times-higher values (on average 70 times) for water droplets than for the dust types at any diameter within the particle size range of 2–20 μm. The envisaged measurement set-up was built up into a laboratory prototype and was tested with different types of aerosols. We generated aerosols from the following powders, simulating dust-like particles: cement dust, ISO 12103-1 A1 Ultrafine Test Dust and ash from the 2012 eruption of the Etna volcano. Our measurements verified the theoretical considerations; the median experimental R value is 8–21 times higher for water than for the "dust" particles.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation A synthesis of cloud condensation nuclei counter (CCNC) measurements within the EUCAARI network(Copernicus, 2015) Paramonov, Mikhail; Kerminen, Veli-Matti; Gysel, Martin; Aalto, Pasi Pekka; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Asmi, Eija; Baltensperger, Urs; Bougiatioti, Aikaterini; Brus, David; Frank, Göran; Good, Nicholas; Gunthe, Sachin S.; Hao, Liqing; Irwin, Martin; Jaatinen, Antti; Jurányi, Zsófia; King, S. M.; Kortelainen, Aki; Kristensson, Adam; Lihavainen, Heikki; Kulmala, Markku; Lohmann, Ulrike; Martin, Scot T.; McFiggans, Gordon; Mihalopoulos, Nikolaos; Nenes, Athanasios; O'Dowd, Colin D.; Ovadnevaite, Jurgita; Petäjä, Tuukka; Pöschl, Ulrich; Roberts, Greg; Rose, Diana; Svenningsson, Birgitta; Swietlicki, Erik; Weingartner, Ernest; Whitehead, James; Wiedensohler, Alfred; Wittbom, Cerina; Sierau, BerkoCloud condensation nuclei counter (CCNC) measurements performed at 14 locations around the world within the European Integrated project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality interactions (EUCAARI) framework have been analysed and discussed with respect to the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activation and hygroscopic properties of the atmospheric aerosol. The annual mean ratio of activated cloud condensation nuclei (NCCN) to the total number concentration of particles (NCN), known as the activated fraction A, shows a similar functional dependence on supersaturation S at many locations – exceptions to this being certain marine locations, a free troposphere site and background sites in south-west Germany and northern Finland. The use of total number concentration of particles above 50 and 100 nm diameter when calculating the activated fractions (A50 and A100, respectively) renders a much more stable dependence of A on S; A50 and A100 also reveal the effect of the size distribution on CCN activation. With respect to chemical composition, it was found that the hygroscopicity of aerosol particles as a function of size differs among locations. The hygroscopicity parameter κ decreased with an increasing size at a continental site in south-west Germany and fluctuated without any particular size dependence across the observed size range in the remote tropical North Atlantic and rural central Hungary. At all other locations κ increased with size. In fact, in Hyytiälä, Vavihill, Jungfraujoch and Pallas the difference in hygroscopicity between Aitken and accumulation mode aerosol was statistically significant at the 5 % significance level. In a boreal environment the assumption of a size-independent κ can lead to a potentially substantial overestimation of NCCN at S levels above 0.6 %. The same is true for other locations where κ was found to increase with size. While detailed information about aerosol hygroscopicity can significantly improve the prediction of NCCN, total aerosol number concentration and aerosol size distribution remain more important parameters. The seasonal and diurnal patterns of CCN activation and hygroscopic properties vary among three long-term locations, highlighting the spatial and temporal variability of potential aerosol–cloud interactions in various environments.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Vertical profiling of aerosol hygroscopic properties in the planetary boundary layer during the PEGASOS campaigns(Copernicus, 2016) Rosati, Bernadette; Gysel, Martin; Rubach, Florian; Mentel, Thomas F.; Goger, Brigitta; Poulain, Laurent; Schlag, Patrick; Miettinen, Pasi; Pajunoja, Aki; Virtanen, Annele; Klein Baltink, Henk; Henzing, Bas; Größ, Johannes; Gobbi, Gian Paolo; Wiedensohler, Alfred; Kiendler-Scharr, Astrid; Decesari, Stefano; Facchini, Maria Cristina; Weingartner, Ernest; Baltensperger, UrsVertical profiles of the aerosol particles hygroscopic properties, their mixing state as well as chemical composition were measured above northern Italy and the Netherlands. An aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS; for chemical composition) and a white-light humidified optical particle spectrometer (WHOPS; for hygroscopic growth) were deployed on a Zeppelin NT airship within the PEGASOS project. This allowed one to investigate the development of the different layers within the planetary boundary layer (PBL), providing a unique in situ data set for airborne aerosol particles properties in the first kilometre of the atmosphere. Profiles measured during the morning hours on 20 June 2012 in the Po Valley, Italy, showed an increased nitrate fraction at ∼ 100 m above ground level (a.g.l.) coupled with enhanced hygroscopic growth compared to ∼ 700 m a. g. l. This result was derived from both measurements of the aerosol composition and direct measurements of the hygroscopicity, yielding hygroscopicity parameters (κ) of 0.34 ± 0.12 and 0.19 ± 0.07 for 500 nm particles, at ∼ 100 and ∼ 700 m a. g. l., respectively. The difference is attributed to the structure of the PBL at this time of day which featured several independent sub-layers with different types of aerosols. Later in the day the vertical structures disappeared due to the mixing of the layers and similar aerosol particle properties were found at all probed altitudes (mean κ ≈ 0.18 ± 0.07). The aerosol properties observed at the lowest flight level (100 m a. g. l.) were consistent with parallel measurements at a ground site, both in the morning and afternoon. Overall, the aerosol particles were found to be externally mixed, with a prevailing hygroscopic fraction. The flights near Cabauw in the Netherlands in the fully mixed PBL did not feature altitude-dependent characteristics. Particles were also externally mixed and had an even larger hygroscopic fraction compared to the results in Italy. The mean κ from direct measurements was 0.28 ± 0.10, thus considerably higher than κ values measured in Italy in the fully mixed PBL.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation The ice selective inlet. a novel technique for exclusive extraction of pristine ice crystals in mixed-phase clouds(Copernicus, 2015) Kupiszewski, Piotr; Weingartner, Ernest; Vochezer, Paul; Schnaiter, Martin; Bigi, Alessandro; Gysel, Martin; Rosati, Bernadette; Toprak, Emre; Mertes, Stephan; Baltensperger, UrsClimate predictions are affected by high uncertainties partially due to an insufficient knowledge of aerosol–cloud interactions. One of the poorly understood processes is formation of mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) via heterogeneous ice nucleation. Field measurements of the atmospheric ice phase in MPCs are challenging due to the presence of much more numerous liquid droplets. The Ice Selective Inlet (ISI), presented in this paper, is a novel inlet designed to selectively sample pristine ice crystals in mixed-phase clouds and extract the ice residual particles contained within the crystals for physical and chemical characterization. Using a modular setup composed of a cyclone impactor, droplet evaporation unit and pumped counterflow virtual impactor (PCVI), the ISI segregates particles based on their inertia and phase, exclusively extracting small ice particles between 5 and 20 μm in diameter. The setup also includes optical particle spectrometers for analysis of the number size distribution and shape of the sampled hydrometeors. The novelty of the ISI is a droplet evaporation unit, which separates liquid droplets and ice crystals in the airborne state, thus avoiding physical impaction of the hydrometeors and limiting potential artefacts. The design and validation of the droplet evaporation unit is based on modelling studies of droplet evaporation rates and computational fluid dynamics simulations of gas and particle flows through the unit. Prior to deployment in the field, an inter-comparison of the optical particle size spectrometers and a characterization of the transmission efficiency of the PCVI was conducted in the laboratory. The ISI was subsequently deployed during the Cloud and Aerosol Characterization Experiment (CLACE) 2013 and 2014 – two extensive international field campaigns encompassing comprehensive measurements of cloud microphysics, as well as bulk aerosol, ice residual and ice nuclei properties. The campaigns provided an important opportunity for a proof of concept of the inlet design. In this work we present the setup of the ISI, including the modelling and laboratory characterization of its components, as well as field measurements demonstrating the ISI performance and validating the working principle of the inlet. Finally, measurements of biological aerosol during a Saharan dust event (SDE) are presented, showing a first indication of enrichment of bio-material in sub-2 μm ice residuals.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Single-particle characterization of ice-nucleating particles and ice particle residuals sampled by three different techniques(Copernicus, 2015) Worringen, Annette; Kandler, Konrad; Benker, Nathlie; Dirsch, Thomas; Mertes, Stephan; Schenk, Ludwig; Kästner, Udo; Frank, Fabian; Nillius, Björn; Bundke, Ulrich; Rose, D.; Curtius, Joachim; Kupiszewski, Piotr; Weingartner, Ernest; Vochezer, Paul; Schneider, Johannes; Schmidt, S.; Weinbruch, Stephan; Ebert, MartinIn the present work, three different techniques to separate ice-nucleating particles (INPs) as well as ice particle residuals (IPRs) from non-ice-active particles are compared. The Ice Selective Inlet (ISI) and the Ice Counterflow Virtual Impactor (Ice-CVI) sample ice particles from mixed-phase clouds and allow after evaporation in the instrument for the analysis of the residuals. The Fast Ice Nucleus Chamber (FINCH) coupled with the Ice Nuclei Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor (IN-PCVI) provides ice-activating conditions to aerosol particles and extracts the activated particles for analysis. The instruments were run during a joint field campaign which took place in January and February 2013 at the High Alpine Research Station Jungfraujoch (Switzerland). INPs and IPRs were analyzed offline by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis to determine their size, chemical composition and mixing state. Online analysis of the size and chemical composition of INP activated in FINCH was performed by laser ablation mass spectrometry. With all three INP/IPR separation techniques high abundances (median 20–70%) of instrumental contamination artifacts were observed (ISI: Si-O spheres, probably calibration aerosol; Ice-CVI: Al-O particles; FINCH + IN-PCVI: steel particles). After removal of the instrumental contamination particles, silicates, Ca-rich particles, carbonaceous material and metal oxides were the major INP/IPR particle types obtained by all three techniques. In addition, considerable amounts (median abundance mostly a few percent) of soluble material (e.g., sea salt, sulfates) were observed. As these soluble particles are often not expected to act as INP/IPR, we consider them as potential measurement artifacts. Minor types of INP/IPR include soot and Pb-bearing particles. The Pb-bearing particles are mainly present as an internal mixture with other particle types. Most samples showed a maximum of the INP/IPR size distribution at 200–400 nm in geometric diameter. In a few cases, a second supermicron maximum was identified. Soot/carbonaceous material and metal oxides were present mainly in the sub-micrometer range. Silicates and Ca-rich particles were mainly found with diameters above 1 μm (using ISI and FINCH), in contrast to the Ice-CVI which also sampled many submicron particles of both groups. Due to changing meteorological conditions, the INP/IPR composition was highly variable if different samples were compared. Thus, the observed discrepancies between the different separation techniques may partly result from the non-parallel sampling. The differences of the particle group relative number abundance as well as the mixing state of INP/IPR clearly demonstrate the need of further studies to better understand the influence of the separation techniques on the INP/IPR chemical composition. Also, it must be concluded that the abundance of contamination artifacts in the separated INP and IPR is generally large and should be corrected for, emphasizing the need for the accompanying chemical measurements. Thus, further work is needed to allow for routine operation of the three separation techniques investigated.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation A novel measurement system for unattended, in situ characterization of carbonaceous aerosols(Copernicus, 22.12.2023) Keller, Alejandro; Specht, Patrick; Steigmeier, Peter; Weingartner, ErnestCarbonaceous aerosol is a relevant constituent of the atmosphere in terms of climate and health impacts. Nevertheless, measuring this component poses many challenges. There is currently no simple and sensitive commercial technique that can reliably capture its totality in an unattended manner, with minimal user intervention, for extended periods of time. To address this issue we have developed the fast thermal carbon totalizator (FATCAT). Our system captures an aerosol sample on a rigid metallic filter and subsequently analyses it by rapidly heating the filter directly, through induction, to a temperature around 800°C. The carbon in the filter is oxidized and quantified as CO2 in order to establish the total carbon (TC) content of the sample. The metallic filter is robust, which solves filter displacement or leakage problems, and does not require a frequent replacement like other measurement techniques. The limit of detection of our system using the 3σ criterion is TC =0.19 µg-C (micrograms of carbon). This translates to an average ambient concentration of TC =0.32 µg-C m^−3 and TC =0.16 µg-C m^−3 for sampling interval of 1 or 2 h respectively using a sampling flow rate of 10 L min^−1. We present a series of measurements using a controlled, well-defined propane flame aerosol as well as wood-burning emissions using two different wood-burning stoves. Furthermore, we complement these measurements by coating the particles with secondary organic matter by means of an oxidation flow reactor. Our device shows a good correlation (correlation coefficient, R^2>0.99) with well-established techniques, like mass measurements by means of a tapered element oscillating microbalance and TC measurements by means of thermal–optical transmittance analysis. Furthermore, the homogeneous fast-heating of the filter produces fast thermograms. This is a new feature that, to our knowledge, is exclusive of our system. The fast thermograms contain information regarding the volatility and refractoriness of the sample without imposing an artificial fraction separation like other measurement methods. Different aerosol components, like wood-burning emissions, soot from the propane flame and secondary organic matter, create diverse identifiable patterns.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift