Abstract Molecular clusters are ubiquitous constituents of the ambient atmosphere, that can grow into larger sizes forming new aerosol particles. The formation and growth of small clusters into aerosol particles remain one of the largest uncertainties in global climate predictions. This has made the modelling of atmospheric molecular clustering into an active field of research, yielding direct molecular level information about the formation mechanism. We review the present state-of-the-art quantum chemical methods and cluster distribution dynamics models that are applied to study the formation and growth of atmospheric molecular clusters. We outline the current challenges in applying theoretical methods and the future directions to move the field forward.

中文翻译：

---

模拟大气分子簇的形成和生长：综述

摘要 分子簇是环境大气中无处不在的成分，可以长成更大的尺寸，形成新的气溶胶颗粒。小团簇的形成和生长成气溶胶颗粒仍然是全球气候预测中最大的不确定因素之一。这使得大气分子聚类的建模成为一个活跃的研究领域，产生关于形成机制的直接分子水平信息。我们回顾了目前最先进的量子化学方法和用于研究大气分子簇形成和生长的簇分布动力学模型。我们概述了应用理论方法的当前挑战和推动该领域向前发展的未来方向。