Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation
Published on: February 4, 2017
Lyapunov instability of rigid diatomic molecules in three dimensions
1Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 373-1 Kusong-dong, Yusong-ku, Taejon, 305-701, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
We study the Lyapunov instability of a three-dimensional fluid composed of rigid diatomic molecules by molecular dynamics simulation. We use center-of-mass coordinates and angular variables for the configurational space variables. The spectra of Lyapunov exponents are obtained for 32 rigid diatomic molecules interacting through the Weeks-Chandler-Andersen potential for various bond lengths and densities. We show the general trends and characteristic features of the spectra of the Lyapunov exponents, and discuss the different contributions between translational and rotational degrees of freedom depending on the density and the bond length from the calculation of the projection of a certain subspace of the tangent space vectors.
Related Concept Videos
Real Gases: Effects of Intermolecular Forces and Molecular Volume Deriving Van der Waals Equation
Molecular Orbital Theory II
Conformations of Cyclohexane
The chair form is the most stable and derives its name from its resemblance to the “easy chair.” In the chair conformation, two carbon atoms are arranged out-of-plane — one above and one below, minimizing the torsional strain. In the chair form, the bond angle is very close to the ideal tetrahedral value,...
First Law: Particles in Two-dimensional Equilibrium
Newton's first law tells us about the...
IR Spectroscopy: Hooke's Law Approximation of Molecular Vibration
According to Hooke's law, the vibrational frequency is directly proportional to the...
The Molecular Nature of Internal Energy

