THE MÖSSBAUER EFFECT AND BROWNIAN MOTION

We call attention to the fact that the Mössbauer effect has a role to play as a detailed probe into Brownian motion. We have calculated the Mössbauer spectrum of nuclei which are embedded in spheres about 1 µ in diameter which, in turn, are suspended in liquid such as water. We have shown that under suitable conditions which are easily realized, the detailed dynamical behavior of the mean square displacement of such Brownian particles is reflected in the resulting non-Lorentzian lineshape. Experimental desiderata and some of the numerous applications are discussed. Preliminary experiments on a suspension of potassium ferrocyanide are encouraging.