Multireference configuration interaction and coupled cluster calculations have been carried out to determine the potential energy curves for the ground and low-lying excited states of the LiYb molecule. The scalar relativistic effects have been included by means of the Douglas-Kroll Hamiltonian and effective core potential and the spin-orbit couplings have been evaluated by the full microscopic Breit-Pauli operator. The LiYb permanent dipole moment, static dipole polarizability, and Franck-Condon factors have been determined. Perturbations of the vibrational spectrum due to nonadiabatic interactions are discussed. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.