Mathematical Aspects of Fluid Mechanics

This 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.