ON THE POSSIBILITY OF ALIGNING PARAMAGNETIC MOLECULES OR IONS IN A MAGNETIC-FIELD

Strong magnetic fields can hybridize low rotational states of paramagnetic molecules or molecular ions whose electronic angular momentum is coupled to the molecular axis. The hybridization creates pendular states in which the molecular axis is confined to librate over a limited angular range about the field direction. In this way substantial spatial alignment associated with large Zeeman shifts can be attained for many ground-state radicals or ions and electronically excited states of diatomic or linear molecules. The magnetic hybridization is analogous to that recently demonstrated for polar molecules in electric fields. The magnetic version can only provide ensemble alignment rather than orientation, but offers complementary chemical scope by virtue of its applicability to nonpolar molecules and ions.