New Phenomenon of the Molecular Liquid State: Interaction of Molecular Rotation and Translation

Abstract

The technique of computer simulation is used to reveal a new and unsuspected phenomenon of the molecular liquid state which is observable by several different spectroscopic techniques. The phenomenon is explained in terms of the effect of a molecule's rotation on its own translation (or vice versa). This is directly measurable in optically active molecules, and exists for all molecules in the liquid state.