Non-resonant absorption by a dilute gas of symmetric top molecules

Abstract

A simple kinetic theory of non-resonant absorption by a dilute gas of symmetric top molecules is presented. Attention is focussed on the case where absorption occurs in the presence of static magnetic and electric fields. The macroscopic polarization of interest is found to behave differently in the two cases, but the lineshape has the same simple lorentzian form to a very good approximation. The predictions of the present theory agree with recent experimental observations, and the discrepancies of a previous kinetic theory are analysed and shown to be removable.