RADIATION-MOLECULE COUPLING USING DYNAMIC POLARIZABILITIES - APPLICATION TO MANY-BODY FORCES

The interaction between atoms/molecules and radiation in the long wave length approximation is often described by the coupling of electric di pole moment with the displacement vector field. A unitary transformati on is used to obtain an effective interaction dependent on dynamic ato mic polarizability This coupling is quadratic in the Maxwell field. Th e new interaction Hamiltonian is applied to the calculation of the thr ee-body intermolecular potential. A general formula for the many-body potential is given. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.