The LeRoy radius, derived by Robert J. LeRoy, defines the internuclear distance between two atoms at which LeRoy-Bernstein theory (sometimes called near-dissociation theory) becomes valid.
LeRoy-Bernstein theory is a semi-classical (WKB) approach for describing vibrational energy levels near the molecular dissociation limit. In this limit, the interaction potential between two atoms can be approximated as , which gives rise to a simple analytical approximation for the vibrational energy levels:
In this expression, is a simple function depending only upon n and Cn, and can be identified as an effective vibrational quantum number at dissociation.