Impact of microphysical interactions on aggregate morphologies.

Abstract

Coagulation of (sub)micron-sized dust particles occurs in a variety of envi- ronments; such as the interstellar medium, protoplanetary disks, Earth's upper atmosphere and industrial processes. Understanding the physics of collisions and interparticle interactions of dust grains within this size regime is essential to in- derstanding such environments. To gain detailed insight into the parameters which enhance or inhibit coagulation it is beneficial to employ numerical methods to grow aggregates where the degrees of freedom may be tuned to a multitude of possible parameter sets. Two of the possible numerical methods which may be employed are pair-wise simulations or N-body simulations. This work expands upon previous numerical methods by examination of the combined e ects of electrostatic and magnetostatic interactions. E ffects of these interactions, alone and in combination, are examined based upon collision probabil- ities as well as the resulting aggregate structures. Also examined are the variations induced by employing ellipsoidal monomers during aggregation.