1. Could you explain the significance of your article to the non-specialist? (50-100 words)

Beyond our own planet other bodies exist in the Solar System which have atmospheres like Earth. Recent space missions have illuminated the importance of weakly bound molecular aggregates in these cold atmospheres and their analogy to the role of water and ice aerosols for cloud and rain formation and for chemical processes in the Earth's atmosphere. In spite of their ubiquitous occurrence their properties are still largely unexplored. Our article illuminates the spectroscopic and chemical properties of pure and composite sulfur dioxide aerosols. Such fundamental studies provide essential data for remote sensing and climate modeling.

2. What has motivated you to conduct this work?

The driving force behind this work is to elucidate the properties of tiny weakly bound aerosol particles which are essential to understand and predict their influence on atmospheric processes. Our goals were twofold: to identify the infrared spectroscopic signatures of particle shape, particles architecture, and chemical behaviour and to understand them in terms of molecular properties.

3. Where do you see this work developing in the future?

The comprehensive understanding of weakly bound aerosol particles will allow us to predict their influence on climate processes, to improve pollution control, and to optimize technical processes involving aerosols. 

4. Are there any particular challenges facing future research in this area? 

One of the great challenges is the analysis of the spectroscopic data. With their many degrees of freedom these systems are very complex to understand on a fundamental level. The development of new models treating many-body systems will be crucial.