Theory of Magnetic Circular Dichroism

Abstract

The magnetic circular dichroism of systems of localized absorbing centers is treated on the basis of the semiclassical theory of radiation absorption. The extreme cases of simple line spectra and smooth absorption bands are discussed in detail. Moment analysis is employed for bands and general expressions for their zeroth and first moments are derived. These are applied to electronic absorption bands, with emphasis on allowed transitions. The particular case of molecular solutions is considered explicitly. The relationship of the results to earlier theoretical treatments is discussed, and their relevance to the interpretation of experimental data indicated.