Laminar jet dispersion and more particularly jet atomization of water, methylene chloride and ethyl alcohol into pressurized carbon dioxide are investigated under experimental conditions of pressure, temperature and liquid flow rate commonly used for supercritical anti solvent (SAS) precipitation processes. The different modes of dispersion are characterized as a function of the jet velocity. Axisymmetrical, asymmetrical and atomized jets are observed at 308 K, under a pressure ranging from 6 to 9 MPa, and for a liquid jet velocity ranging from to 0.14 to 8.02 m s(-1). A new correlation is given between the jet Reynolds number and the Ohnesorge number, determining the transition to the atomization regime. Experimental values of dynamic interfacial tensions are used to elaborate the correlation. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.