AWhat changed
Born and Oppenheimer organized electronic, vibrational and rotational energies of stable molecules into a perturbation expansion in the fourth root of the electron-to-nuclear mass ratio.
Scientific scope
Born and Oppenheimer organized electronic, vibrational and rotational energies of stable molecules into a perturbation expansion in the fourth root of the electron-to-nuclear mass ratio. This is a stationary perturbation scheme based on the small electron/nuclear mass ratio, a stable electronic equilibrium and a smooth nondegenerate electronic branch. Small localized vibrations and fixed small quantum numbers matter. It is not a proven uniformly convergent expansion for arbitrary molecular states, crossings or reaction dynamics. Later adiabatic corrections and general formulations remain separate.
Evidence
Source-linked, scoped account of the original work. The published scope states the scientific assumptions and remaining verification limits. WRS has not independently certified the full proof, experimental result or system benchmark.
Contributors
- M. Born · SCIENCE: Original source-listed scientific author of this scoped work; byline does not determine effort fractions.
- R. Oppenheimer · SCIENCE: Original source-listed scientific author of this scoped work; byline does not determine effort fractions.
- Born and Oppenheimer, On the Quantum Theory of Molecules, identified Blindertranslation withemendations, Radboudcopy
- Wiley Crossrefdeposit for 1927 Born/Oppenheimeroriginal
Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.
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