The nucleation behavior of supercooled water vapor in helium

The nucleation behavior of supersaturated water vapor in helium is experimentally investigated in the temperature range of 200-240 K. The experiments are performed using a pulse expansion wave tube. The experimental results show a sharp transition in the nucleation rates at 207 K. We suggest that the transition is due to the transition of vapor/liquid to vapor/solid nucleation (ordered with decreasing temperature). A qualitative theoretical explanation is given based on the classical nucleation theory and the surface energy of ice. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.