Delocalized states of atomic hydrogen in crossed electric and magnetic fields

Petr A. Braun

Saverio Bivona, Patrick F. O’Mahony, K T Taylor

Galliano Valent A

The results obtained by Pauli in his 1926 article on the hydrogen atom made essential use of the dynamical so(4) symmetry of the bound states. Pauli used this symmetry to calculate the perturbed energy levels of an hydrogen atom in a uniform electric field (Stark effect) and in uniform electric and magnetic fields. Although the Stark effect in hydrogen has been studied experimentally, Pauli’s results in mixed fields have been studied only for Rydberg states of rubidium atoms in crossed fields and for lithium atoms in parallel fields.

Jook T. M. Walraven, Raymond Van Roijen, Tom W. Hijmans

Liberman, А. В. Петров

E Flothmann, Jörg Main, K. H. Welge

For the hydrogen atom in crossed, perpendicular, static electric and magnetic fields we show the existence of three elementary Kepler ellipses, two in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field and one, three-dimensional, largely perpendicular to the electric field. They are determined from the symmetry properties in the low field limit, occurring for all external field combinations. Their parameter dependences and stability properties are analysed in detail. In the case that the orbits are stable the corresponding maximum orientated quantum states are identified. For states with sufficient low principal quantum numbers the total splitting of a given n-shell is described by semiclassical quantization of these three Kepler ellipses.