Magnetic dipole transition

The interaction of an electromagnetic wave with an electron bound in an atom or molecule can be described by time-dependent perturbation theory. Magnetic dipole transitions describe the dominant effect of the coupling to the magnetic part of the electromagnetic wave. They can be divided into two groups by the frequency at which they are observed: optical magnetic dipole transitions can occur at frequencies in the infrared, optical or ultraviolet between sublevels of two different electronic levels, while magnetic Resonance transitions can occur at microwave or radio frequencies between angular momentum sublevels within a single electronic level. The latter are called Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) transitions if they are associated with the electronic angular momentum of the atom or molecule and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) transitions if they are associated with the nuclear angular momentum.