The alignment of ice crystals in changing electric fields

Orientation of ice crystals in the form of thin plates (diameter up to 30 μm, thickness 0.5 to a few μm) was investigated optically for crystals nucleated in a supercooled cloud in a laboratory cold chamber. Random orientation caused by Brownian rotation of small crystals (apparent as twinkling) and alignment caused by airflow resulting from fall motion of larger crystals was changed by application of an electric field either as a step or as an oscillating square wave of variable frequency of order 1–10 Hz. Video records and time exposed still photographs demonstrated crystal fall, oscillation, and orientation changes with electric field magnitude and frequency. Thin film interference colours provided crystal thickness, mass, and moment of inertia. Realignment began for electric fields greater than 0.5–1 kV/m and was complete above 10 kV/m. Measurements of degree of alignment (from random orientation to completely parallel to the electric field) and its time dependence (of order tenths of seconds) are consistent with predictions of a theoretical oscillator model based on electrical torques on ellipsoids in viscous air. In a changing electric field at low frequency, the crystal realignment varies along with the variation field and at high frequency they remain aligned along the average field. These results are applied to larger crystals as occur in the atmosphere with implication for remote sensing of ice by radar and lidar as influenced by local electric fields and with the possibility of their remote measurement by optical observation of changing crystal orientations.