Encyclopedia

Born-Oppenheimer approximation

Also found in: Acronyms, Wikipedia.

Born-Oppenheimer approximation

[¦bȯrn ′äp·ən‚hī·mər ə‚präk·sə‚mā·shən]
(physical chemistry)
The approximation, used in the Born-Oppenheimer method, that the electronic wave functions and energy levels at any instant depend only on the positions of the nuclei at that instant and not on the motions of the nuclei. Also known as adiabatic approximation.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Mentioned in
References in periodicals archive
Consequently, in the next subsection, we consider two important approximations of the Schrodinger equation, namely, the adiabatic and the Born-Oppenheimer approximations, which aim to reduce such a complexity.
Adiabatic and Born-Oppenheimer Approximations. The above-mentioned system of differential equations is too complex to be solved directly.
This equation may be further simplified if the adiabatic and the Born-Oppenheimer approximations are enforced:
Computational Methods for Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics
Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.