Auzinsh M., Ferber R. Optical Polarization of Molecules

Cambridge University Press, 1995,306 pages, ISBN: 0521443466, 0521673445This book explains the theory and methods by which gas molecules can be polarized by light, a subject of considerable importance for what it tells us about the electronic structure of molecules and properties of chemical reactions. Starting with a brief review of molecular angular momentum, the text goes on to consider resonant absorption, fluorescence, photodissociation and photoionization, as well as collisions and static fields. A variety of macroscopic effects are considered, among them angular distribution and the polarization of emitted light, ground state depopulation, laser-induced dichroism, the effect of collisions and external magnetic and electric field effects. Most examples in the book are for diatomic molecules, but symmetric-top polyatomic molecules are also included. The book concludes with a short appendix of essential formulae, tables for vector calculus, spherical functions, Wigner rotation matrices, Clebsch-Gordan coefficients, and methods for expansion over irreducible tensors.Angular momentum and transition dipole moment
Excited state angular momenta distribution
Ground state angular momenta polarization
Effect of external magnetic field on angular momenta distribution
General equations of motion for arbitrary J values
Other methods of alignment and orientation of molecules