Theoretical description of nuclear quadrupole coupling in light diatomic molecules

A practical procedure for calculation of nuclear quadrupole coupling constants for light diatomic molecules is discussed. The procedure is based on a molecular wave function that explicitly describes nuclear motion. The approach is capable of yielding quadrupole coupling constants for excited rovibrational levels of diatomic molecules in their ground and excited electronic states. An application of the procedure to the X¹Σ⁺_g and B¹Σ⁺_u states of HD and D₂ is presented.