Abstract

After the photolysis of parent molecules, the incipient photoproducts are produced with a nonequilibrium distribution over their angular momenta and orientations. The phenomenon has both optical origin (a probability of the absorption and/or emission of light is proportional to the square of the scalar product of light polarization and transition dipole moment) and dynamic origin (the fragments acquire an additional angular momentum due to the rupture of chemical bonds and rotation of the parent molecule).

© 2000 IEEE