Matrix diagonalization, open-shell molecules

The total angular momentum basis is thus computationally more efficient, even for collision problems in external fields. There is a price to pay for this. The expressions for the matrix elements of the collision Hamiltonian for open-shell molecules in external fields become quite cumbersome in the total angular momentum basis. Consider, for example, the operator giving the interaction of an open-shell molecule in a 51 electronic state with an external magnetic field. In the uncoupled basis (8.43), the matrix of this operator is diagonal with the matrix elements equal to Mg, where is the projection of S on the magnetic field axis. In order to evaluate the matrix elements of this operator in the coupled basis, we must represent the operator 5 by spherical tensor of rank 1 (Sj = fl theorem [5]... 

---