Field-Induced Transparency in Liquid Oxygen by High Magnetic Field

Abstract

A new magnetic field effect on the blue color of liquid oxygen is found in pulsed high magnetic field up to 500 kOe. It is clearly shown that the color is reduced and the transparency increases by applying the magnetic field. The effect is explained by introducing the model that the bimolecular absorption transition 2(³Σ_g⁻)−2(¹Δ_g), which is responsible to the blue color of liquid oxygen, is reduced in high magnetic field because of the spin polarization of paramagnetic O₂ molecules.