Inadequacy of the statistical many-body model for molecular infrared absorption in the far wings
It is known that the infrared absorption coefficient of CO2 in the far wings is far less than what is derived from the assumption of a Lorentzian absorption profile. Sorgen and Ben-Aryeh (1972) tried to show that by incorporating the statistical many-body model into impact theory, the discrepancy between the Lorentzian absorption profile and the experimental infrared absorption coefficient can be removed. This paper attempts to show that the high frequency or short-time property of the dipole-dipole interaction cannot be adequately explained by the many-body model; in other words, the statistical model as conventionally understood is not applicable to infrared spectral lines in the far wings.