Bright State Molecule (VIDEO)
Caption
When the rotor molecules are in a thick solution, their capacity to vibrate is limited and so they emit light before they are done vibrating, as shown here. This is called the "bright state." This is because the paddle-shaped part of the rotor must rotate freely in order to turn on the chemical pathway that allows it to give off heat energy -- but this rotation is suppressed in a thick solution. The thicker the solution, the less the molecular paddles rotate, the more light can be emitted.
Credit
Morgan Cousins and Matt Liptak
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