Abstract

Methanol absorbs HF laser radiation in the O-H stretching mode and CO₂ laser radiation in its C-O stretching mode. Thus multiphoton absorption (MPA) and multiphoton decomposition (MPD) experiments determining the effect on product yields of irradiating different modes of the same small molecule are possible for methanol. Such a comparison has been reported previously.¹ However, another study of CO₂ laser-induced MPD² disagreed with the product ratios reported.

© 1982 Optical Society of America