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arXiv:2604.19588

Magnetic coupling between nuclear motion and nuclear spins in molecules

Matthias Diez, Johannes K. Krondorfer, Albert Hirtenfelder, Andreas W. Hauser

physics.chem-phquant-phSubmitted Apr 21, 2026• Announced Apr 22, 2026
v1 · Apr 21, 2026v2 · Aug 10, 2026
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Among the possible types of magnetic dipole interactions in molecular systems, couplings between nuclear motion and the nuclear spin have probably received the least attention in molecular spectroscopy. Although very small in comparison to effects related to electron spin, this type of hyperfine interaction plays an important role in the NMR spectroscopy of molecular systems. While measurement and prediction of spin-rotation tensors are a common place, vibrationally induced effects still lack a comprehensive description. In this article we develop a generic, theoretical framework that is well embedded in modern electronic structure theory and inspired by the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian for electronic interactions, distinguishing between nuclear spin-orbit and spin-other-orbit contributions. We show that the interaction of nuclear spins with pseudorotational excitations of highly symmetric molecules may lead to experimentally accessible hyperfine splittings in NMR spectra, triggered by infrared light.

Journal reference
Molecular Physics, 2025, Article e2600464
DOI
10.1080/00268976.2025.2600464
Comments
Author accepted version of the manuscript published in Molecular Physics. The SI is appended to the main manuscript

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