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Canadian Journal of Physics

An exactly soluble three-body problem in one dimension

Christof Jung

Published Jun 1, 1980• 29 citations
Publisher

Abstract

An exactly soluble one-dimensional three-body problem is presented, in which the interaction between the particles consists of local two-body potentials between each two particles. Infinitely high step functions are chosen for the form of the three potential functions. This interaction allows only three-body bound states and no continuum states. We have considered three different choices of the mass ratios of the three particles and we give formulas in closed form for the energies and for the wavefunctions of all states.

DOI
10.1139/p80-098

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Journal of Mathematical Physics•May 1, 1980•4 citations
An exactly soluble one-dimensional three-body problem is presented, in which the interaction between the particles consists of local two-body potentials between each two particles. Infinitely high step functions are chosen for the form of the three potential functions. This interaction allows only three-body bound states and no continuum states. We have considered three different choices of the mass ratios of the three particles and we give formulas in closed form for the energies and for the wavefunctions of all states.
In this paper it is shown that several cases of one-dimensional N-body problems are exactly soluble. The first case describes the motion of three one-dimensional particles of arbitrary mass which interact with one another via infinite-strength, repulsive delta-function potentials. It is found in this case that the stationary-state solution of the scattering of the three particles is analogous to an electro-magnetic diffraction problem which has already been solved. The solution to this analogous electro-magnetic problem is interpreted in terms of particles. Next it is shown that the problem of three particles of equal mass interacting with each other via finite- but equal-strength delta-function potentials is exactly soluble. This example exhibits rearrangement and bound-state effects, but no inelastic processes occur. Finally it is shown that the problem of N particles of equal mass all interacting with one another via finite- but equal-strength delta functions is exactly soluble. Again no inelastic processes occur, but various types of rearrangements and an N-particle bound state do occur. These rearrangements and the N-particle bound state are illustrated by means of a series of sample calculations.
An exact solution is obtained for a model three-body system in which the particles interact through pairwise, harmonic oscillator, and spin-dependent potentials, the solution being achieved by a simple transformation to an appropriate coordinate system. In particular, it is shown that the S-state wave functions of the ground state of the triton span the two-dimensional representation of the symmetric group S3, are orthogonal, and resemble closely the Irving wave forms found so successful in variational calculations.
The momentum space zero-range model is used to investigate universal properties of three interacting particles confined to two dimensions. The pertinent equations are first formulated for a system of two identical and one distinct particle and the two different two-body subsystems are characterized by two-body energies and masses. The three-body energy in units of one of the two-body energies is a universal function of the other two-body energy and the mass ratio. We derive convenient analytical formulae for calculations of the three-body energy as a function of these two independent parameters and exhibit the results as universal curves. In particular, we show that the three-body system can have any number of stable bound states. When the mass ratio of the distinct to identical particles is greater than 0.22, we find that at most two stable bound states exist, while for two heavy and one light mass an increasing number of bound states is possible. The specific number of stable bound states depends on the ratio of two-body bound state energies and on the mass ratio, and we map out an energy–mass phase diagram of the number of stable bound states. Realizable systems of both fermions and bosons are discussed in this framework.
We investigate one-dimensional three-body systems composed of two identical bosons and one mass-imbalanced atom (impurity) with attractive two-body and three-body zero-range interactions. In the absence of three-body interaction, we give a complete phase diagram of the number of three-body bound states in the whole region of mass ratio and the ratio of intra- and intercomponent interaction strength via direct calculation of Skornyakov-Ter-Martirosyan equations. We demonstrate that other low-lying three-body bound states emerge when the mass of the impurity particle is different from other two identical particles. We obtain the binding energies together with the corresponding wave functions. When the mass of impurity atom is very large, there are at most three three-body bound states. In the presence of three-body zero-range interaction, we reveal that weak three-body interaction will not always induce one more three-body bound state. At some special parameter points, arbitrary small three-body interaction can generate one more three-body bound state. This corresponds to the transition of the number of three-body bound states induced only by two-body attractive interaction.
The wave functions of boson and fermion gases are known even when the particles have harmonic interactions. Here we generalize these results by solving exactly the N–body Schrödinger equation for potentials V that can be any function of the sum of the squares of the distances of the particles from one another in three dimensions. For the harmonic case that function is linear in r2. Explicit N–body solutions are given when U(r) = –2Mh–2V(r) = 𝛇r–1 – 𝛇2r–2. Here M is the sum of the masses and r2 = 1/2 M–2ΣmImJ(xI – xJ)2. For general U(r) the solution is given in terms of the one– or two–body problem with potential U(r) in three dimensions. The degeneracies of the levels are derived for distinguishable particles, for bosons of spin zero and for spin 1/2 fermions. The latter involve significant combinatorial analysis which may have application to the shell model of atomic nuclei. For large N the fermionic ground state gives the binding energy of a degenerate white dwarf star treated as a giant atom with an N–body wave function. The N–body forces involved in these extraordinary N–body problems are not the usual sums of two–body interactions, but nor are forces between quarks or molecules. Bose–Einstein condensation of particles in three dimensions interacting via these strange potentials can be treated by this method.