Use the anharmonic potential function in Figure 18.7 to demonstrate that rotation and vi...

Use the anharmonic potential function in Figure 18.7 to demonstrate that rotation and vibration are not separable degrees of freedom for large quantum numbers.

FIGURE 18.7

Potential energy V(x) as a function of the displacement x from the equilibrium bond length for a diatomic molecule. The zero of energy is chosen to be the bottom of the potential. The red curve depicts a realistic potential in which the molecule dissociates for large values of x. The purple curve shows a harmonic potential, V(x) = (1/2)kx², which is a good approximation to the realistic potential near the bottom of the well.