Dielectric spectra: general features

In Eq. (10), E nt s(u) and Es(in) are the s=x,y,z components of the internal electric field and the field in the dielectric, respectively, and p u is the Boltzmann density matrix for the set of initial states m. The parameter tmn is a measure of the line-width. While small molecules, N<pure solid show well-defined lattice-vibrational spectra, arising from intermolecular vibrations in the crystal, overlap among the vastly larger number of normal modes for large, polymeric systems, produces broad bands, even in the crystalline state. When the polymeric molecule experiences the molecular interactions operative in aqueous solution, a second feature further broadens the vibrational bands, since the line-width parameters, xmn, Eq. (10), reflect the increased molecular collisional effects in solution, as compared to those in the solid. These general considerations are borne out by experiment. The low-frequency Raman spectrum of the amino acid cystine (94) shows a line at 8.7 cm- -, in the crystalline solid, with a half-width of several cm-- -. In contrast, a careful study of the low frequency Raman spectra of lysozyme (92) shows a broad band (half-width 10 cm- -) at 25 cm- -,... 

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