Long-lived states of antiprotonic lithium pLi {sup +} produced in p+ Li collisions

Journal Article · Thu Sep 15 04:00:00 EDT 2011 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.84.032501· OSTI ID:22068686

Sakimoto, Kazuhiro ^[1]

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1. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Yoshinodai 3-1-1, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan)

Antiproton capture by lithium atoms (p+Li{yields}pLi{sup +}+e) is investigated at collision energies from 0.01 to 10 eV by using a semiclassical (also know as quantum-classical hybrid) method, in which the radial distance between the antiproton and the Li{sup +} ion is treated as a classical variable, and the other degrees of freedom are described by quantum mechanics. Analyzing the wave packet of the emitted electrons and making use of the energy conservation rule enable us to calculate the state distribution of the produced antiprotonic lithium pLi{sup +} atoms and also to distinguish between the capture and ionization ({yields}p+Li{sup +}+e) channels at collisional energies above the ionization threshold. This method is tested for the capture of negative muons by hydrogen atoms, which was rigorously investigated in previous quantum mechanical studies. Most of the pLi{sup +} atoms produced in p+Li are found to be sufficiently stable against Auger decays and are experimentally observable as long-lived states. The present system bears close similarities to the system of p+He(2S). It is therefore expected that long-lived antiprotonic helium pHe{sup +} atoms can be efficiently produced in the p capture by metastable He(2 {sup 3}S) atoms.

• OSTI ID: 22068686
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Journal Name: Physical Review. A Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 84; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ANTIPROTONS
CAPTURE
COLLISIONS
DECAY
DEGREES OF FREEDOM
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRONS
ENERGY CONSERVATION
EV RANGE
HELIUM
HELIUM 2
HYBRIDIZATION
HYDROGEN
IONIZATION
LITHIUM
LITHIUM IONS
MUONS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
SEMICLASSICAL APPROXIMATION
WAVE PACKETS