Electron nuclear dynamics theoretical considerations

The first discovery of chemically induced dynamic electron polarization (CIDEP) was made by Fessenden and Schuler in 1963 (58). These authors observed the abnormal spectra of the H atoms produced during the irradiation of liquid methane. The low-field line in the esr spectrum was inverted compared to the corresponding high-field line. The related chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization effect (CIDNP) was reported independently four years later by Bargon et al. (22) and by Ward and Lawler (134). Because of the wider application of nmr in chemistry, the CIDNP effect immediately attracted considerable theoretical and experimental attention, and an elegant theory based on a radical-pair model (RPM) was advanced to explain the effect. The remarkable development of the radical-pair theory has obviously brought cross-fertilization to the then-lesser-known CIDEP phenomenon. 

To obtain hyperpolarizabilities of calibrational quality, a number of standards must be met. The wavefunctions used must be of the highest quality and include electronic correlation. The frequency dependence of the property must be taken into account from the start and not be simply treated as an ad hoc add-on quantity. Zero-point vibrational averaging coupled with consideration of the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of populations amongst the rotational states must also be included. The effects of the electric fields (static and dynamic) on nuclear motion must likewise be brought into play (the results given in this section include these effects, but exactly how will be left until Section 3.2.). All this is obviously a tall order and can (and has) only been achieved for the simplest of species He, H2, and D2. Comparison with dilute gas-phase dc-SHG experiments on H2 and D2 (with the helium theoretical values as the standard) shows the challenge to have been met. 

---