A theory of magneto-optical rotation in diamagnetic molecules of low symmetry

Abstract

A quantum-mechanical theory for the Faraday effect in polyatomic molecules is developed along the lines of the general theory on natural optical rotation presented by Rosenfeld, Condon, et al. The stationary perturbation of a magnetic field and the time-dependent perturbation of a light wave are treated simultaneously by means of a second-order time-dependent perturbation theory. The treatment is restricted to molecules having non-degenerate wavefunctions and zero spin. The moment of a single molecule, in the presence of a magnetic field and a light wave, is calculated in Part I. In Part II the average electric and magnetic moments per molecule are used in macroscopic optical equations to determine the Verdet constant, which is shown to be non-vanishing for the molecules under consideration. A discussion of the results will be given subsequently, in Part III of this work.