An effect of extra compactified dimensions of space in the molecule $$\hbox {NO}_{{2}}$$

Abstract

Abstract The theory of large extra compactified dimensions of space (ADD-model) predicts that gravity may become strong in a compactification space of the size of a molecule and may affect the vibrational motion of a molecule. In triatomic molecules like $$\hbox {NO}_{{2}}$$ NO 2 nuclear dynamics is strongly coupled to electronic dynamics at the intersection of electronic states (conical intersection). We discuss experimental results on $$\hbox {NO}_{{2}}$$ NO 2 which reveal that the collision-free molecule optically excited into a symmetric stretch vibration mode of an electronic state with conical intersection undergoes an irreversible non-radiative transition into an asymmetric stretch vibration mode in combination with a change of the electronic state. We suggest ascribing this irreversible non-radiative transition to a gravitational perturbation on the vibrational motion in $$\hbox {NO}_{{2}}$$ NO 2 . This gravitational perturbation deactivates the upper state of the optical transition. The width of the absorption line is given by the characteristic time of the gravitational perturbation and not by the radiative lifetime of the excited molecular state. Graphical abstract