Rotatory Response of Molecular Electron Momentum Densities in Linear, Homogeneous Weak Electric Fields : A Topographical Analysis

The electron momentum density (EMD) profiles, for some simple molecules studied in this work, show interesting topographical changes in the presence of a field. An extra angular momentum which is an artefact of the applied field manifests itself as a redistribution of the electron density and brings about a rotation. The inversion symmetry is preserved throughout. EMDs are experimentally accessible quantities. They yield a description of the molecule which is non-nucleo-centric, an attribute which imparts a greater understanding to what goes on in the valence regions. EMDs are more sensitive to an external perturbation than its position space-counterparts, and are suitable for studying the effects of an external perturbation on the valence regions.