Nuclear algebraic methods: application to molecular vibrations

Group theoretical methods originally introduced in nuclear physics can be applied to molecular systems by combining Lie-algebraic and point-group techniques. By adapting the model to the specific molecular symmetry we find a direct connection between the algebraic and traditional configuration space descriptions. The SU(2) model gives an analytic approximation to the interaction between anharmonic oscillators. We illustrate the procedure by considering the vibrational spectrum of methane. (Author)