Infrared multiphoton dissociation

Okay kiddo, let's first learn what infrared light is. You know how when you touch something hot, like a stove, it burns your hand? Well, that's because the stove is giving off infrared light, which is a type of energy that we can't see with our eyes.

Now, scientists use infrared light to break apart molecules into smaller pieces. This is called dissociation. But sometimes, one pulse of infrared light isn't enough to break apart a molecule. That's where multiphoton comes in.

Multiphoton means that instead of one pulse of infrared light, scientists use many pulses. Each pulse gives a little bit of energy to the molecule, and eventually, after enough pulses, the molecule breaks apart into smaller pieces.

This can be really useful for scientists who want to study how molecules behave, or for people who need to break down certain kinds of chemicals. It's kind of like breaking a toy apart to see what's inside, except with really tiny things that we can't see with our eyes.