Determine whether processing is surface- or bulk-dominated

Determine whether infrared-induced restructuring and desorption in porous amorphous solid water are surface processes or bulk processes.

Background

The analysis estimated absorbed energy and photon numbers using only the top monolayer because the ice thickness was not known reliably and because desorption was expected to be surface-sensitive. The authors explicitly acknowledged that the data did not establish whether restructuring and desorption are confined to the surface or involve the multilayer bulk, leaving the spatial origin of the processes unresolved.

References

Yet, from our data, we cannot determine if the process is related to the bulk or surface, and we have no reliable way to determine the thickness of the ice.

— Infrared photoprocessing of porous amorphous solid water with a free electron laser  (2608.25473 - Schrauwen et al., 26 Aug 2026) in Appendix, Section “Estimation of the absorbed energy and the number of absorbed photons”