Perturbation of the excited states of the hydrogen atom and hydrogen-like ions by a neutral atom

Journal Article · Tue Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2009 · Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063776109120036· OSTI ID:21443649

Chibisov, M. I., E-mail: [e-mail] ^[1]

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1. Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute (Russian Federation)

Owing to the degeneracy of the energy levels, the wavefunction of the electron in the excited states of the hydrogen atom and hydrogen-like ions perturbed by a neutral atom B is significantly different from the wavefunction of the unperturbed state. The perturbed function has a wide high maximum in the region of atom B, which is explained by multiple collisions of the electron with atom B, because the classical trajectories in the Coulomb field are closed and the size of atom B is much smaller than the size of the excited-state orbit. The radiative lifetimes of the excited states are much larger than those of unperturbed states. The orbital angular momentum L of the excited electron is strongly changed in collisions with atom B owing to the quantum interference or mixing of the temporal phases of adiabatic wavefunctions. The cross sections for such a change in the orbital angular momentum are several orders of magnitude larger than the cross sections found in early investigations in the approximation of the single collision of the electron with atom B.

• OSTI ID: 21443649
• Journal Information: Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, Vol. 109, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1134/S1063776109120036; Copyright (c) 2009 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.; ISSN 1063-7761
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
APPROXIMATIONS
ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOMS
COULOMB FIELD
CROSS SECTIONS
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ELECTRONS
EXCITED STATES
HYDROGEN
INTERFERENCE
LIFETIME
MULTICHARGED IONS
ORBITAL ANGULAR MOMENTUM
WAVE FUNCTIONS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
CALCULATION METHODS
CHARGED PARTICLES
COLLISIONS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
FERMIONS
FUNCTIONS
IONS
LEPTONS
NONMETALS