dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaComplex States of Simple Molecular Systems
| Authors | R. Englman, A. Yahalom |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0406149 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0406149 |
| Journal | chapter of the volume "The Role of Degenerate States in Chemistry" edited by M. Baer and G. Billing in Adv. Chem. Phys. Vol. 124 (John Wiley & Sons 2002) |
Abstract
A review is given of phase properties in molecular wave functions, composed of a number of (and, at least, two) electronic states that become degenerate at some nearby values of the nuclear configuration. Apart from discussing phases and interference in classical (non-quantal) systems, including light-waves, the review looks at the constructability of complex wave functions from observable quantities ("the phase problem"), at the controversy regarding quantum mechanical phase-operators, at the modes of observability of phase and at the role of phases in some non-demolition measurements. Advances in experimental and (especially) theoretical aspects of Aharonov-Bohm and topological (Berry) phases are described, including those involving two-electron and relativistic systems. Several works in the phase control and revivals of molecular wave-packets are cited as developments and applications of complex-function theory. Further topics that this review touches on are: coherent states, semiclassical approximations and the Maslov index. The interrelation between time and the complex state is noted in the contexts of time delays in scattering, of time-reversal invariance and of the existence of a molecular time-arrow.
{
"annotation_id": "d5435c02-e830-4a73-b3bb-666c45fc8a20",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:00:49.528000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:00:49.528000Z",
"file_hash": "e90286e394ff3fdb0b713e9f16f1a26fcc80a45e3ab7b4cdab0047f9cb0cb58d",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "A review is given of phase properties in molecular wave functions, composed\nof a number of (and, at least, two) electronic states that become degenerate at\nsome nearby values of the nuclear configuration. Apart from discussing phases\nand interference in classical (non-quantal) systems, including light-waves, the\nreview looks at the constructability of complex wave functions from observable\nquantities (\"the phase problem\"), at the controversy regarding quantum\nmechanical phase-operators, at the modes of observability of phase and at the\nrole of phases in some non-demolition measurements. Advances in experimental\nand (especially) theoretical aspects of Aharonov-Bohm and topological (Berry)\nphases are described, including those involving two-electron and relativistic\nsystems. Several works in the phase control and revivals of molecular\nwave-packets are cited as developments and applications of complex-function\ntheory. Further topics that this review touches on are: coherent states,\nsemiclassical approximations and the Maslov index. The interrelation between\ntime and the complex state is noted in the contexts of time delays in\nscattering, of time-reversal invariance and of the existence of a molecular\ntime-arrow.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0406149",
"authors": [
"R. Englman",
"A. Yahalom"
],
"categories": [
"physics.chem-ph"
],
"journal_ref": "chapter of the volume \"The Role of Degenerate States in Chemistry\"\n edited by M. Baer and G. Billing in Adv. Chem. Phys. Vol. 124 (John Wiley \u0026\n Sons 2002)",
"title": "Complex States of Simple Molecular Systems",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0406149"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "b5f755d9-bb3b-48bb-b370-b9fdb606f424",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}