MOLECULAR INFRARED-SPECTRA AND MOLECULAR-MOTION

We review recent work from our group in Zurich concerning molecular rovibrational motion in relation to molecular infrared spectra. After discussing general aspects of the dynamics of quantum systems under coherent and incoherent infrared excitation, including quantitative strengths of IR-absorption, we introduce the topic with the simplest examples of harmonic oscillator motion. We then survey the quantum dynamics of coupled vibrations in polyatomic molecules. We stress the importance of symmetry as a governing feature in molecular dynamics and illustrate this with the example of various symmetry conservation laws in chiral molecules.