On the condensation sticking coefficient: A quantitative discussion

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Abstract
A model is presented for the calculation of the sticking coefficient for two colliding particles. The coalescing process is treated as a two step event. First, the various pathways for the formation of a collision complex are identified and their lifetimes are calculated. Second, the mechanisms for the stabilization of the activated complex are discussed and characteristic times associated with these mechanisms are derived. The sticking coefficient is formulated as a function of these characteristic times. The resulting expression contains the explicit dependence on the mass of the colliding particles. As a specific numerical example, the sticking coefficient is calculated for the homogeneous condensation of vaporized coal ash.