Prev. Article Next Article Table of Contents

Article

Franck-Condon Factors and Their Use in Undergraduate Quantum Mechanics

Citing Articles

Your current credentials do not allow retrieval of the full text.

Purchase the full-text

PDF/HTML,
figures/images,
references and tables,
(where available)

John C. Wright

Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706

Theresa Julia Zielinski

Department of Chemistry, Medical Technology & Physics, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ 07764

J. Chem. Educ., 1999, 76 (10), p 1367

DOI: 10.1021/ed076p1367

Publication Date (Web): October 1, 1999

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

Symbolic mathematics software makes it possible for undergraduates to model the expansion of a wave function using the Hermite polynomials of a simple harmonic oscillator. The probabilities for transitions between the vibrational states of two electronic states with different equilibrium displacements are directly determined by the Franck-Condon factors, which are simply the coefficients of the expansion of one state in terms of the other stateâ€™s basis functions. Exercises are described that allow students to explore and understand the Franck-Condon factors and to apply their understanding to interpreting simple spectra including the octatetraene and iodine absorption spectra. These exercises are used to promote active learning in physical chemistry courses.

Keywords (Audience):

Upper-Division Undergraduate

Keywords (Domain):

Physical Chemistry

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Computer-Based Learning

Keywords (Subject):

Learning Theories

View: Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links

Citing Articles

View all 2 citing articles

Citation data is made available by participants in CrossRef's Cited-by Linking service. For a more comprehensive list of citations to this article, users are encouraged to perform a search in SciFinder.

This article has been cited by 2 ACS Journal articles (2 most recent appear below).

Connections between Concepts Revealed by the Electronic Structure of Carbon Monoxide
Ying Liu, Bihui Liu, Yue Liu, and Michael G. B. Drew
Journal of Chemical Education2011 Article ASAP
- Connections between Concepts Revealed by the Electronic Structure of Carbon Monoxide
  Ying Liu, Bihui Liu, Yue Liu, and Michael G. B. Drew
  Journal of Chemical Education2011 Article ASAP
  Different models for the electronic structure of carbon monoxide are suggested in influential textbooks. Therefore, this electronic structure offers an interesting subject in teaching because it can be used as an example to relate seemingly conflicting ...
  Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
Ab Initio Determinations of Photoelectron Spectra Including Vibronic Features. An Upper-Level Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Laboratory
Richard L. Lord , Lisa Davis and Evan L. Millam , Eric Brown , Chad Offerman , Paul Wray and Susan M. E. Green
Journal of Chemical Education2008 85 (12), 1672
- Ab Initio Determinations of Photoelectron Spectra Including Vibronic Features. An Upper-Level Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Laboratory
  Richard L. Lord , Lisa Davis and Evan L. Millam , Eric Brown , Chad Offerman , Paul Wray and Susan M. E. Green
  Journal of Chemical Education2008 85 (12), 1672
  We present a first-principles determination of the photoelectron spectra of water and hypochlorous acid as a laboratory exercise accessible to students in an undergraduate physical chemistry course. This paper demonstrates the robustness and user-...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links