Quantum theory of predissociation

Predissociation is a process occurring in many molecules which gives rise to a variety of phenomena, among them spectral line-broadening and anomalous cross sections in molecular collisions. Beginning with a general quantum description of the motion of molecules, a theory of predissociation as a special case of dynamics arising from potential curve crossings is developed. This theory, based on the notion of an effective hamlitonian generating a reduced dynamics among a system of metastable bound states, differs from its predecessors in its emphasis on exact non-perturbative solutions. It derives from the most general formulations of quantum dynamics through its inclusion of the Green's operator