The electric dipole selection rules determine the allowed and forbidden transitions between quantum states in atoms and molecules, depending on their interaction with electric dipole radiation. The basic rules are as follows:
Change in Angular Momentum: The angular momentum quantum number must change by ±1. As a result, an electron can jump from an s orbital to a p orbital, or from a p orbital to a d orbital, among others.
Parity Change: The initial and final quantum states should differ in parity. Parity is the characteristics of wave function with respect to its symmetry and for electric dipole transitions, there must be a change in parity.
Spin Conservation: The total spin quantum number (S) should not change. This means that those transitions which depend on the change in the state of spin are forbidden in electric dipole interaction.
These rules follow from the condition that the transition dipole moment integral must be nonzero.
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