Mathematicians settle 30-year-old resonance controversy
Monday, November 3, 2014 - 09:30
in Physics & Chemistry
In the early '80s, several researchers were working to determine the location of atomic and molecular resonances, which are the frequencies at which atoms and molecules prefer to oscillate. Two groups of researchers (Rittby, et al., and Korsch, et al.), each using a different method, came up with different locations for these resonances. Settling the dispute proved to be extremely difficult due to the fact that neither method could predict the actual resonances, but instead simply gave approximations. In fact, at the time there was no way to locate resonances with absolute certainty.