Infrared spectroscopy of diatomic molecules - a fractional calculus approach

The eigenvalue spectrum of the fractional quantum harmonic oscillator is calculated numerically solving the fractional Schr\"odinger equation based on the Riemann and Caputo definition of a fractional derivative. The fractional approach allows a smooth transition between vibrational and rotational type spectra, which is shown to be an appropriate tool to analyze IR spectra of diatomic molecules.Comment: revised + extended version, 9 pages, 6 figure