Molecular physics

Molecular physics uses physical principles to study molecules, including their structure, properties, spectra, dynamics, and interactions.

Molecular quantum mechanics: The quantum-mechanical description of molecular structure, energy levels, and behavior. It supplies the principles used to calculate molecular states and properties.
Molecular orbital: A quantum state describing an electron distributed across a molecule. Molecular orbitals provide the electronic structure from which many molecular properties follow.
Molecular spectroscopy: The study of how molecules absorb, emit, or scatter electromagnetic radiation. It identifies molecular energy levels and helps determine structure and composition.
Physical chemistry: The study of chemical systems using physical theories and quantitative methods. It shares molecular structure and dynamics while connecting them directly to chemical behavior.
Max Born: A German physicist who helped establish quantum mechanics and its statistical interpretation. His work on molecular dynamics and quantum theory shaped the field’s foundations.
Born–Oppenheimer approximation: An approximation that separates electronic and nuclear motion because nuclei are much heavier than electrons. It makes molecular calculations tractable by treating nuclei as nearly fixed during electronic motion.
Molecular symmetry: The set of spatial operations that leave a molecule’s structure unchanged. Symmetry determines allowed transitions and simplifies the classification of molecular states.
Infrared spectroscopy: A technique that probes molecular vibrational transitions using infrared radiation. Vibrational fingerprints make it useful for identifying molecules and chemical bonds.
Chemical physics: The application of physics to chemical systems, especially their structure, dynamics, and reactions. Its scope overlaps molecular physics, particularly in molecular reactions and energy transfer.
Robert S. Mulliken: An American physicist and chemist known for developing molecular orbital theory. His theory gave molecular electronic structure a systematic quantum description.

Linked from 5 pages