Quantum Theory of Molecular Photodissociation

4 Lectures. Coulson Summer School, 1996.

Lecture Synopsis

1. Light Absorption by Molecules. Time-dependent perturbation theory. Classical electromagnetic radiation. The electric dipole interaction. Fermi's Golden Rule. The absorption cross section.
2. Theory of Electronic Spectroscopy. Rotational selection rules. The Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Electronic selection rules. Vibrational Franck-Condon factors. Summary.
3. Theory of Molecular Photodissociation. The absorption spectrum. Time-dependent theory. Resonances and recurrences. Time-independent theory. Partial cross sections.
4. Numerical Methods and Examples. Representation of H. Representation of -iepsilon. Wavepacket propagation. Examples.

Lecture Notes

1. Lecture notes, bibliography, and problem set [ PDF (587k) GZipped PS ].