Molecules in optical, electric, and magnetic fields: a personal perspective

Physical chemistry and theoretical chemistry have advanced over the past 50 years from being largely qualitative to having a mature status based firmly on the principles of quantum and statistical mechanics. My interest in the chemical elements and their compounds has prompted me to learn more about the nature of matter through the measurement and interpretation of optical, electric, and magnetic properties of molecules. In addition to holding intrinsic interest, such properties tell us about charge and current distributions and form the basis of electro-optics, magneto-optics, and nonlinear optics. They also help us understand the nature and strength of long-range intermolecular forces, the hydrogen bond, and molecular biology-topics that are apparently forever young.