Anomalous temperature dependence of vibrational lifetimes in water and ice
We have used femtosecond two-color midinfrared spectroscopy to determine the temperature dependence of the OH-stretching lifetime in dilute HDO:D2O solution, both in the liquid and solid (ice Ih) state. Like many other properties of water, the vibrational lifetime shows a remarkable temperature dependence: In liquid water the vibrational relaxation of the OH-stretching mode is twice as slow as in ice, and becomes even slower with increasing temperature.