Abstract Physical processes which affect stratospheric aerosol particles include nucleation, condensation, evaporation, coagulation and sedimentation. We carry out quantitative studies of these mechanisms to determine if they can account for some of the observed properties of the aerosol. We show that the altitude range in which nucleation of H2SO4-H2O solution droplets can take place corresponds to that region of the stratosphere where the aerosol is generally found. Since heterogeneous nucleation is the dominant nucleation mechanism, the stratospheric solution droplets are mainly formed on particles which have been mixed up from the troposphere or injected into the stratosphere by volcanoes or meteorites. Particle growth by heteromolecular condensation can account for the observed increase in mixing ratio of large particles in the stratosphere. Coagulation is important in reducing the number of particles smaller than 0.05 µm radius. Growth by condensation, applied to the mixed nature of the particles, s...