Higher-order C{sub n} dispersion coefficients for the alkali-metal atoms
- Faculty of Technology, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory 0909 (Australia)
The van der Waals coefficients, from C{sub 11} through to C{sub 16} resulting from second-, third-, and fourth-order perturbation theory are estimated for the alkali-metal (Li, Na, K, and Rb) atoms. The dispersion coefficients are also computed for all possible combinations of the alkali-metal atoms and hydrogen. The parameters are determined from sum rules after diagonalizing a semiempirical fixed core Hamiltonian in a large basis. Comparisons of the radial dependence of the C{sub n}/r{sup n} potentials give guidance as to the radial regions in which the various higher-order terms can be neglected. It is seen that including terms up to C{sub 10}/r{sup 10} results in a dispersion interaction that is accurate to better than 1% whenever the inter-nuclear spacing is larger than 20a{sub 0}. This level of accuracy is mainly achieved due to the fortuitous cancellation between the repulsive (C{sub 11},C{sub 13},C{sub 15}) and attractive (C{sub 12},C{sub 14},C{sub 16}) dispersion forces.
- OSTI ID:
- 20653302
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 71, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.71.042701; (c) 2005 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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