DIAMAGNETIC AND PARAMAGNETIC CURRENTS FOR AN ANISOTROPIC HARMONIC-OSCILLATOR IN A MAGNETIC-FIELD

The response of the electronic shell of a molecule to the perturbing action of an external magnetic field has been analyzed by calculating the field-induced electric current of a particle moving under the effect of the potential of an anisotropic harmonic oscillator. Exact analytical expressions have been obtained for the distribution of the current density, the current lines, and the magnetic susceptibility. The dependence of the pattern of the induced current on the degree of excitation of the quantum states and the anisotropy of the potential has been analyzed. The presence of both diamagnetic and paramagnetic loop currents has been demonstrated. The expressions for the magnetic susceptibility and the induced current obtained for an anisotropic oscillator can be used in calculations of the magnetic properties of molecules in a basis of ellipsoidal Gaussian functions.