Considerable advances have taken place in quantum electrodynamical theory of intermolecular forces. Virtually impacting all areas of science, molecular quantum electrodynamics (MQED) has been successfully applied to numerous radiation-molecule and molecule-molecule processes. Molecular Quantum Electrodynamics delves in depth into the MQED theory of long-range intermolecular forces, offering a variety of physical viewpoints and calculational techniques.

The...

This book provides details of the calculation of the interaction between two neutral polarizable atoms or molecules using molecular quantum electrodynamics (QED). To better understand the origin of this force, it briefly outlines molecular QED theory, the well-known van der Waals dispersion potential first evaluated by Casimir and Polder, who accounted for retardation effects. It presents different calculation schemes for the evaluation of the dispersion potential and also discusses energy shifts involving electric quadrupole and octupole moments, along with discriminatory dispersion...