Four-body methods for high-energy ion-atom collisions

Journal Article · Tue Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2008 · Reviews of Modern Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/REVMODPHYS.80.249· OSTI ID:21100272

Belkic, Dzevad; Mancev, Ivan; Hanssen, Jocelyn ^[1]

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1. Karolinska Institute, P.O. Box 260, S-171 76 Stockholm (Sweden)

The progress in solving problems involving nonrelativistic fast ion (atom)-atom collisions with two actively participating electrons is reviewed. Such processes involve, e.g., (i) scattering between a bare nucleus (projectile) P of charge Z{sub P} and a heliumlike atomic system consisting of two electrons e{sub 1} and e{sub 2} initially bound to the target nucleus T of charge Z{sub T}, i.e., the Z{sub P}-(Z{sub T};e{sub 1},e{sub 2}){sub i} collisions; (ii) scattering between two hydrogenlike atoms (Z{sub P},e{sub 1}){sub i{sub 1}} and (Z{sub T},e{sub 2}){sub i{sub 2}}, etc. A proper description of these collisional processes requires solutions of four-body problems with four active particles including two nuclei and two electrons. Among various one- as well as two-electron transitions which can occur in such collisions, special attention will be paid to double-electron capture, simultaneous transfer and ionization, simultaneous transfer and excitation, single-electron detachment and single-electron capture. Working within the four-body framework of scattering theory and imposing the proper Coulomb boundary conditions on the entrance and exit channels, the leading quantum-mechanical theories are analyzed. Both static and dynamic interelectron correlations are thoroughly examined. The correct links between scattering states and perturbation potentials are strongly emphasized. Selection of the present illustrations is dictated by the importance of interdisciplinary applications of energetic ion-atom collisions, ranging from thermonuclear fusion to medical accelerators for hadron radiotherapy.

• OSTI ID: 21100272
• Journal Information: Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 80, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/RevModPhys.80.249; (c) 2008 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0034-6861
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ATOM-ATOM COLLISIONS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
ELECTRON CAPTURE
ELECTRON CORRELATION
ELECTRON DETACHMENT
ELECTRONS
EXCITATION
FOUR-BODY PROBLEM
HADRONS
ION-ATOM COLLISIONS
IONIZATION
MATHEMATICAL SOLUTIONS
PERTURBATION THEORY
POTENTIALS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
SCATTERING
TAIL IONS
WAVE FUNCTIONS