The nucleation and expulsion of carbon particles formed in stellar atmospheres

The conditions for significant nucleation of carbon particles to occur in several late-type stellar atmospheres are considered. The theoretical treatment includes the contributions from the translational, rotational, and vibrational degrees of freedom of the nuclei which have been omitted in previous considerations. It is shown that the range of possible surface free energies of the particles, for which nucleation can be achieved in these atmospheres, is small. The effects of electrostatic drag on escaping particles are discussed. Under the conditions considered here, these effects are shown to be of secondary importance to those of viscous drag