Theory of the Photomolecular Effect

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Landry, Michael J., Fu, Chuliang, Zhang, James H., Li, Jiachen, Chen, Gang, Li, Mingda
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Landry, Michael J.
Fu, Chuliang
Zhang, James H.
Li, Jiachen
Chen, Gang
Li, Mingda
author_facet Landry, Michael J.
Fu, Chuliang
Zhang, James H.
Li, Jiachen
Chen, Gang
Li, Mingda
contents It is well-known that water in both liquid and vapor phases exhibits exceptionally weak absorption of light in the visible range. Recent experiments, however, have demonstrated that at the liquid-air interface, absorption in the visible range is drastically increased. This increased absorption results in a rate of evaporation that exceeds the theoretical thermal limit by between two and five times. Curiously, the evaporation rate peaks at green wavelengths of light, while no corresponding absorptance peak has been observed. Experiments suggest that photons can cleave off clusters of water molecules at the surface, but no clear theoretical model has yet been proposed to explain how this is possible. This paper aims to present such a model and explain this surprising and important phenomenon.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_08373
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Theory of the Photomolecular Effect
Landry, Michael J.
Fu, Chuliang
Zhang, James H.
Li, Jiachen
Chen, Gang
Li, Mingda
Soft Condensed Matter
Atomic and Molecular Clusters
Optics
It is well-known that water in both liquid and vapor phases exhibits exceptionally weak absorption of light in the visible range. Recent experiments, however, have demonstrated that at the liquid-air interface, absorption in the visible range is drastically increased. This increased absorption results in a rate of evaporation that exceeds the theoretical thermal limit by between two and five times. Curiously, the evaporation rate peaks at green wavelengths of light, while no corresponding absorptance peak has been observed. Experiments suggest that photons can cleave off clusters of water molecules at the surface, but no clear theoretical model has yet been proposed to explain how this is possible. This paper aims to present such a model and explain this surprising and important phenomenon.
title Theory of the Photomolecular Effect
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Atomic and Molecular Clusters
Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.08373