Spherical Tensor Theory of Molecular Multipole Moments and Polarizabilities

A spherical tensor theory of molecular multiple moments and molecular polarizabilities is developed. It is shown that the spherical tensor form has several advantages over the traditional cartesian form. These include the standardization of notation when higher order interactions are considered, the simplicity of their transformation properties and the ease in which their irreducible components can be constructed. An appendix showing the explicit relations between the cartesian and spherical forms is also given for the most commonly occurring cases. © 1976. Published by Elsevier