Experimental determination and theoretical framework of kinetic fractionation at the water vapour-ice interface at low temperature

Here, we make use (1) of recent development in the measurements of water isotopes in the water vapour through infra-red spectroscopy and (2) of the possibility to measure accurately 17O-excess of water to test the classical formulation and parameterization of isotopic fractionation at solid condensation. A first experiment involving very strong supersaturation evidences a strong kinetic effect on 17O-excess at solid condensation, similar to d-excess. It also shows the limits of the classical formulation of water isotopic fractionation during solid condensation estimation at very low temperature. A second experiment performed in a cloud chamber under controlled conditions uses cavity ring down spectrometers (CRDS) to determine the spatial variability of water vapour isotopic composition due to diffusion (kinetic effect) during solid condensation. The spatial variability of water vapour isotopic composition can be relatively well reproduced by the resolution of diffusion toward a cold plate. This preliminary study opens new perspectives to revisit the classical formulation of water isotopic fractionation during solid condensation at very low temperature.