Carbon Dioxide in Collision

(a) Two vibrating and spinning CO2 molecules as they intercept infrared radiation (red wavy line) during a collision. In this collision-induced absorption (CIA) 100% of the radiation is absorbed; half is transferred to the rotation of the molecules (circles), making them spin more quickly, and half goes toward translation making the two molecules move faster relative to each other (blue arrows)

(b) In collision-induced scattering (CIS), not all of the incoming radiation (magenta wavy line) is absorbed. Some of it is scattered away in the form of light at other frequencies (green wavy lines).

 

 

 

Reported by: Chrysos et al, in Physical Review Letters

Associated: Physics News Update 862, item 1

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