Thursday, May 19, 2011

Cosmic quirk of physics found in a molecule

"There is plenty of evidence of the rotational Doppler effect in large bodies, such as a spinning planet or galaxy," Thomas said. "When a planet rotates, the light coming from it shifts to a higher frequency on the side spinning toward you and a lower frequency on the side spinning away from you." The effect can also be measured when a star wobbles to and fro, revealing the presence of an otherwise unseen planet tugging the star this way and that as it orbits around. "But this same basic force is at work even on the molecular level."
The scientists blasted high-energy photons into molecules of nitrogen. When hit, the molecules were jolted with energy, which caused them to release electrons. link

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