A molecule free in cold space will cool by slowing down its rotation and will lose its energy in quantum transitions. This process can be accelerated, slowed down, or even inverted.
Researchers from the MPI for Nuclear Physics measured the rate of quantum transitions due to encounters between molecule and electrons by bringing isolated, charged molecule in contact with electrons under controlled conditions. They could make this rate high enough to be determined in an experiment.
During up to 10 minutes of storage, the researchers examined the occupation of quantum energy levels in methylidene ion. The quantum transitions are connected to black-body excitation of the molecule. The electrons compete with the radiative interactions to determine the occupation of rotational quantum levels. In analyzing the faint signals of molecules in space detected by radio telescopes or in predicting chemical reactivity in cold, cold plasmas, rates of quantum-level changes are crucial. The research is published in a journal.
More information: Ábel Kálosi et al, Laser Probing of the Rotational Cooling of Molecular Ions by Electron Collisions, Physical Review Letters (2022). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.183402 Journal information: Physical Review Letters Citation: Collisions with electrons cool molecular ions (2022, May 9) retrieved 9 May 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-collisions-electrons-cool-molecular-ions.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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