Spontaneous fission of atmospheric aerosol particles

Abstract

We show that spontaneous division of atmospheric aerosol particles is thermodynamically possible, in spite of the corresponding increase in surface area, when there is a highly compressed organic surfactant coating on the particle. This class of atmospheric aerosol is thought to be present (and potentially important) in both marine and urban atmospheres. Fully-coated particles have been suggested to have played a role in the origin of cell-based life. The possibility of their spontaneous division has important implications for atmospheric chemistry, radiative transfer and the evolution of life on Earth.