Model three-body problem in the molecular mass limit

Journal Article · Thu Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1979 · Ann. Phys. (N.Y.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-4916(79)90356-7· OSTI ID:6088786

Fonseca, A C; Shanley, P E

The bound states of a three-body molecule composed of two identical heavy nuclei and a light ''electron'' interacting through short-range s-wave potentials are studied. The spectrum of three-body bound states grows as the mass ratio m between the heavy and light particles increases, and presents a remarkable vibration rotation structure that can be fitted with the usual empirical energy formulas of molecular spectroscopy. The results of the exact three-body calculation for the binding energy and bound-state wavefunction are compared with the predictions of the Born-Oppenheimer method for the same system. We find that for m>30, the Born-Oppenheimer approximation yields very good results for both the binding energies and wavefunctions. For smaller m (1

• Research Organization: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
• OSTI ID: 6088786
• Journal Information: Ann. Phys. (N.Y.); (United States), Journal Name: Ann. Phys. (N.Y.); (United States) Vol. 117:2; ISSN APNYA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
BINDING ENERGY
BORN-OPPENHEIMER APPROXIMATION
BOUND STATE
DISTANCE
ENERGY
ENERGY LEVELS
EXCITED STATES
FUNCTIONS
INTERACTION RANGE
MANY-BODY PROBLEM
NUCLEAR MOLECULES
PARTIAL WAVES
ROTATIONAL STATES
S WAVES
THREE-BODY PROBLEM
VIBRATIONAL STATES
WAVE FUNCTIONS