In 1896, the Swedish physicist Svante Arrhenius discovered that carbon dioxide (CO2) traps heat in Earth’s atmosphere, leading to the greenhouse effect. Modern climate models have confirmed his findings, showing that every time the CO2 concentration doubles, Earth’s temperature increases between 2 and 5 degrees Celsius.
Recently, physicists have made significant progress in understanding the quantum origin of the greenhouse effect. In 2022, a dispute over the “logarithmic scaling” of the greenhouse effect was settled, explaining how Earth’s temperature responds uniformly to doubling CO2 levels. This spring, a team led by Robin Wordsworth of Harvard University uncovered a quantum quirk in the CO2 molecule’s structure that enhances its heat-trapping abilities, contributing to climate change.
The greenhouse effect works by CO2 molecules absorbing and reemitting Earth’s infrared light, preventing some of it from escaping to space. Adding more CO2 to the atmosphere slows down the outflow of heat, leading to a warmer planet’s surface. Despite initial challenges to Arrhenius’s theory by scientists like Knut Ångström, the impact of CO2 on climate change is now better understood.
Modern climate science has advanced through computational models, but efforts are underway to simplify the understanding of CO2’s impact on climate. Researchers have explained the logarithmic scaling of the greenhouse effect, demonstrating how CO2’s absorption spectrum influences temperature rise with increasing concentrations.
Using quantum mechanics, scientists have identified specific molecular motions in CO2 that contribute to its heat-trapping properties. These motions, such as the stretching and hula-hoop states, play a crucial role in absorbing Earth’s infrared light and impacting the climate. The discovery of Fermi resonance and its connection to Earth’s climate has provided valuable insights into the fundamental principles underlying climate change.
The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has reached record levels, leading to approximately 1 degree Celsius of warming so far. Understanding the quantum origin of the greenhouse effect sheds light on the mechanisms driving climate change and underscores the importance of addressing carbon emissions to mitigate its impact on the planet.
