The paper presents a new approach to model the response of optical particle counters (OPCs) including a simple parametrization for artificial broadening of size spectra induced by the non-ideal behavior of real OPCs. It shows a self-consistent way to evaluate calibration measurements and outlines how particle number size distributions with realistic uncertainty estimates can be derived. The innovations will improve the accuracy of OPC-derived size distributions and allow to assess their precision (see also: https://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/10/4341/2017/).

Citation:
Walser, A., Sauer, D., Spanu, A., Gasteiger, J., and Weinzierl, B.: On the parametrization of optical particle counter response including instrument-induced broadening of size spectra and a self-consistent evaluation of calibration measurements, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 4341-4361, doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4341-2017, 2017.

Contributors:

• Univ.-Prof. B. Weinzierl (corresponding author)
• Dr. J. Gasteiger
• A. Spanu, BSc MSc