Born–Oppenheimer approxiamation invalidity

[laitvo]

The validity of Born–Oppenheimer approximation will in my opinion be questioned in non-adiabatic problems where the coupling of electrons to the nuclei’s motion is of key importance. For instance, when dealing with (highly) excited molecular vibrations or with relativistic problems, the slightest change of nuclei’s position introduces a large change in the (electron) wavefunction. This renders the Born–Oppenheimer approximation invalid.

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