Well, this seems to be an interesting and unexpected big deal: a new paper suggests that light can evaporate water without actually needing to heat the water up first. And it could sort out a few problems in existing cloud physics:
https://news.mit.edu/2024/how-light-can-vaporize-water-without-heat-0423
How light can vaporize water without the need for heat
MIT researchers discovered that light can cause evaporation of water from a surface without the need for heat. This “photomolecular effect” could be important for understanding climate change and for improving some industrial processes.MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
