A quantum mechanical calculation of photofragment absorption or emission polarization

The polarization of light emitted by excited state diatomic photofragments produced using linear polarized radiation to dissociate a triatomic molecule is calculated using a quantum mechanical treatment of molecular rotational angular momentum and assuming direct dissociation. The photofragment emission polarization is found to depend upon the relative orbital angular momentum of the separating fragments as well as the individual angular momenta of the parent and fragment molecules.