Collision-induced absorption in dense mixtures of simple fluids

Summary Collision-induced absorption (CIA) spectroscopy is a probe of the dynamical properties of dense systems. Two simple cases of CIA spectra are here discussed: the translational band observed in solutions of a noble gas in liquid Ar and the rotational lines of H₂ observed in solutions of H₂ in Ar. In the first case, the analysis of the translational band allows one to derive the characteristic frequency ω₀, associated with the rattling component of the motion of the impurity in the Ar medium. In the second case, the analysis of the rotational lines allows one to derive the parameter δ, that characterizes the density narrowing effect. In the high-density region, the parameter δ is directly related to the diffusive motion of the Ar atoms around the impurity. Paper presented at the workshop ?Highlights on Simple Liquids?, held in Turin at ISI on 1–3 May, 1989.