Polyexciton absorption of light by oxygen crystals

The results of detailed studies of the absorption bands of solid oxygen in the vicinity of 30,000 cm−1 are reported. It is shown that in addition to bimolecular transitions the spectrum displays multiple-particle transitions (involving three or four molecules). The authors suggest an interpretation of the temperature dependence of the integrated intensity of the bands caused by transitions with the excitation of three- and four-quasiparticles and calculate the fine structure of the spectrum.