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The propagation of radiation through a medium containing a component that absorbs the radiation and is steadily destroyed by it

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Abstract

The Beer–Lambert law is inadequate to describe the absorption of radiation by a medium if the absorbing component is being simultaneously destroyed by the radiation. A replacement law is derived and solved in terms of a family of polynomials. The solution is confirmed numerically and by simulation.

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Notes

  1. Alternatively one might prefer to express \(I\) in Einsteins per square metre per second and \(C\) in moles per cubic metre.

  2. Only minor changes in the theory are needed if the product also absorbs light, but is otherwise inert.

  3. The cell width \(L\) does not appear in the ensuing mathematics. Though necessarily finite in experimental practice, there is no theoretical limit to the cell width. In the simulation \(L\) is accorded the value \(2.5/[\upvarepsilon C(X,0)]\).

  4. As is their sum \(f(y,z)+g(y,z)\)

  5. Provided that F remains finite for all positive values of \(x\) and \(t\).

  6. Applicable, after augmentation by the italicized entries in Table 2, to all positive integer values of \(k\) and \(h\).

  7. Not to be confused with the Bernoulli polynomials for which the same notation is in use.

  8. Other than by retracing the derivation backwards through the \(b\) integers and the \(a\) coefficients.

  9. By truncating the summations after \(k\) = 12 and adding one-half of the \(k=13\) term.

  10. In the examples used to create the figures, the values \(M=N\) = 499 were employed.

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Acknowledgments

This unfunded research was kindly assisted by Jan Myland.

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Correspondence to Keith B. Oldham.

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Oldham, K.B. The propagation of radiation through a medium containing a component that absorbs the radiation and is steadily destroyed by it. J Math Chem 52, 1007–1019 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10910-014-0309-1

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