Interfacial optical absorptance of air-water interfaces
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866912973052706816 |
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| author | Bohm, Preston Li, Mingjun Menon, Akanksha K. Zhang, Zhuomin M. |
| author_facet | Bohm, Preston Li, Mingjun Menon, Akanksha K. Zhang, Zhuomin M. |
| contents | The photomolecular effect has been hypothesized to enhance evaporation of water at visible wavelengths. This study develops a measurement technique to investigate its presence and magnitude at the liquid-vapor interface of water. The experiment detects surface absorptance by comparing polarized reflectance for substrates with and without a water layer. The reflectance ratio is used as an indicator of interfacial absorptance or attenuation. Lightly doped silicon and platinum were used as dielectric and metal substrates, and their pseudo-optical properties were measured using ellipsometry. Experimental results were compared to a multilayer reflectance model to determine theoretical sensitivity and guide angle selection. Measurements showed close agreement with a classical model assuming zero surface absorptance. The model was then extended to include surface absorptance using a spectral response based on Lorentzian-distributed Feibelman parameters derived from a recent estimate of 0.84% interfacial absorption. Although this model predicted a 1-2% reduction in reflectance near resonant frequencies, no such spectral features were observed experimentally. These results suggest that under ambient conditions, interfacial absorption is well below 1%, indicating that the optical signature of the photomolecular effect is either much weaker than previously reported or strongly dependent on conditions not present in this experiment. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_17977 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Interfacial optical absorptance of air-water interfaces Bohm, Preston Li, Mingjun Menon, Akanksha K. Zhang, Zhuomin M. Optics The photomolecular effect has been hypothesized to enhance evaporation of water at visible wavelengths. This study develops a measurement technique to investigate its presence and magnitude at the liquid-vapor interface of water. The experiment detects surface absorptance by comparing polarized reflectance for substrates with and without a water layer. The reflectance ratio is used as an indicator of interfacial absorptance or attenuation. Lightly doped silicon and platinum were used as dielectric and metal substrates, and their pseudo-optical properties were measured using ellipsometry. Experimental results were compared to a multilayer reflectance model to determine theoretical sensitivity and guide angle selection. Measurements showed close agreement with a classical model assuming zero surface absorptance. The model was then extended to include surface absorptance using a spectral response based on Lorentzian-distributed Feibelman parameters derived from a recent estimate of 0.84% interfacial absorption. Although this model predicted a 1-2% reduction in reflectance near resonant frequencies, no such spectral features were observed experimentally. These results suggest that under ambient conditions, interfacial absorption is well below 1%, indicating that the optical signature of the photomolecular effect is either much weaker than previously reported or strongly dependent on conditions not present in this experiment. |
| title | Interfacial optical absorptance of air-water interfaces |
| topic | Optics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.17977 |