Interstellar formaldehyde. I - The collisional pumping mechanism for anomalous 6-centimeter absorption.

Investigation of the quantum mechanics of the collisional pumping process which Townes and Cheung (1969) propose as the cause of 'anomalous' formaldehyde absorption in diffuse dark nebulae discussed by Palmer et al. (1969). Quantum effects are taken into account in an attempt to determine whether such nebulae are likely to provide the physical conditions required for the collisional pumping process.