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A survey of recent Raman scattering studies on the interstitial hydrogen molecule (H₂) in Si and GaAs is presented. It is shown that properties of H₂ strongly depend on the nuclear spin state I. In either material, para-H₂ (I=0) is unstable against irradiation with band gap light. In the case of Si, para-H₂ also preferentially disappears from the Raman spectra in the course of storage at room temperature in the dark. Possible explanations for this surprising behavior are discussed and compared with the latest infrared absorption studies.

The theoretical calculation of the refractive indices is of great significance for the developments of new optical materials. The calculation method of refractive index, which was deduced from the electron-cloud-conductor model, contains the shape and direction factor $〈g〉$. $〈g〉$ affects the electromagnetic-induction energy absorbed by the electron clouds, thereby influencing the refractive indices. It is not yet known how to calculate $〈g〉$ value of non-spherical electron clouds. In this paper, $〈g〉$ value is derived by imaginatively dividing the electron cloud into numerous little volume elements and then regrouping them. This paper proves that $〈g〉=2/3$ when molecules’ spatial orientations distribute randomly. The calculations of the refractive indices of several substances validate this equation. This result will help to promote the application of the calculation method of refractive index.

We are interested in dynamics of a system in an environment, or an open system. Such phenomena as crossover from Markovian to non-Markovian relaxation and thermal equilibration are of our interest. Open systems have experimentally been studied with ultra cold atoms, ions in traps, optics, and cold electric circuits because well-isolated systems can be prepared here and thus the effects of environments can be controlled. We point out that some molecules solved in isotropic liquid are well isolated and thus they can also be employed for studying open systems in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments. First, we provide a short review on related phenomena of open systems that helps readers to understand our motivation. We, then, present two experiments as examples of our approach with molecules in isotropic liquids. Crossover from Markovian to non-Markovian relaxation was realized in one NMR experiment, while relaxation-like phenomena were observed in approximately isolated systems in the other.

This paper focuses on the use and value of XPS and NEXAFS spectroscopies to unveil the nature of the chemical bond of various bifunctional nitrile molecules adsorbed on Si(001) 2×1 at 300 K. The adsorption modes are also discussed in the light of recent theoretical publications devoted to optimized geometries and reaction paths of these molecules on Si(001).

Some people think that carbon and sustainable development are not compatible. This textbook shows that carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air and bio-carbon from biomass are our best allies in the energy transition, towards greater sustainability. We pose the problem of the decarbonation (or decarbonization) of our economy by looking at ways to reduce our dependence on fossil carbon (coal, petroleum, natural gas, bitumen, carbonaceous shales, lignite, peat). The urgent goal is to curb the exponential increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and hydrosphere (Figures 1.1 and 1.2) that is directly related to our consumption of fossil carbon for our energy and materials The goal of the Paris agreement (United Nations COP 21, Dec. 12, 2015) of limiting the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees (compared to the pre-industrial era, before 1800) is becoming increasingly unattainable (Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), report of Aug. 6, 2021). On Aug. 9, 2021 Boris Johnson, prime minister of the United Kingdom, declared that coal needs to be consigned to history to limit global warming. CO₂ has an important social cost…