Atoms in molecules Atoms in molecules The quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) is a model of molecular and condensed matter electronic systems (such as crystals) in which the principal objects of molecular structure - atoms and bonds - are natural expressions of a system's observable electron density distribution function. An electron density distribution of a molecule is a probability distribution that describes the average manner in which the electronic charge is distributed throughout real space in the attractive field exerted by the nuclei. According to QTAIM, molecular structure is revealed by the stationary points of the electron density together with the
Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics who was later joined as joint director by Misha Lukin. In 2016 the director is Hossein Sadeghpour. Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics The Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (ITAMP) is an international scientific learned society based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was established in 1988 to alleviate a perceived shortage of theorists in atomic, molecular, and optical physics (AMO) at major universities throughout America. AMO concerns the study of matter-matter and light-matter interactions at the scale of one or a few atoms. The stated objectives of the Institute are: