Nonequilibrium condensation of metal vapor mixed with an inert gas in nozzle expansion in cluster beam generators

A closed mathematical model of flows of a mixture consisting of a homogeneously condensible vapor and an inert gas is described. This model is a further development of the pure metal vapor condensation model and, as distinct from the latter, makes it possible to take into account the effect of molecules of inert gas not only on the thermodynamics of the mixture but on the detailed kinetics of the processes of the cluster formation and breakdown. The results of numerical calculations of the formation of iron and silver clusters in experimental installations are presented.