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Physical Review A

Relativistic corrections to the binding energy of positronic alkali-metal atoms

Takuma Yamashita, Yasushi Kino

Published Dec 17, 2019• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report a theoretical calculation of the relativistic corrections to the binding energy of positronic alkali-metal atoms. The ground state for the positronic alkali-metal atom is a loosely bound state with the structure of an alkali-metal ion surrounded by a positronium cloud. The correlation between the valence electron and positron in the field of a residual core ion is taken into account using a three-body model. Relativistic corrections to the binding energy for positronic alkali-metal atoms are evaluated based on the Breit-Pauli perturbation theory up to the second order of the fine structure constant. The relativistic corrections caused by the interaction between the valence electron and core ion was evaluated from the decomposed expectation values of the perturbation Hamiltonian. We found that the importance of relativistic corrections to the binding energy, namely the ratio of the net relativistic correction in the total binding energy, is remarkably enhanced in the loosely bound states of positronic alkali-metal atoms, where the charge of the valence electron is screened by the positron as positronium in the outermost region, while the electron is released from the positron near the nucleus. The results imply that positronic atoms with a dominant positronium can serve as an apt testing ground for relativistic quantum mechanics.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.100.062511

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We report a theoretical calculation of the relativistic corrections to the binding energy of positronic alkali-metal atoms. The ground state for the positronic alkali-metal atom is a loosely bound state with the structure of an alkali-metal ion surrounded by a positronium cloud. The correlation between the valence electron and positron in the field of a residual core ion is taken into account using a three-body model. Relativistic corrections to the binding energy for positronic alkali-metal atoms are evaluated based on the Breit-Pauli perturbation theory up to the second order of the fine structure constant. The relativistic corrections caused by the interaction between the valence electron and core ion was evaluated from the decomposed expectation values of the perturbation Hamiltonian. We found that the importance of relativistic corrections to the binding energy, namely the ratio of the net relativistic correction in the total binding energy, is remarkably enhanced in the loosely bound states of positronic alkali-metal atoms, where the charge of the valence electron is screened by the positron as positronium in the outermost region, while the electron is released from the positron near the nucleus. The results imply that positronic atoms with a dominant positronium can serve as an apt testing ground for relativistic quantum mechanics.
In order to investigate the binding mechanism of weakly bound states of positronic alkali atoms, we calculate the energies and wavefunctions using the Gaussian expansion method (GEM) where a positronium (Ps)–alkali ion channel and a positron–alkali atom channel are explicitly introduced. The energies of the bound states are updated using a model potential that reproduces well the observed energy levels of alkali atoms. The binding mechanism of the positronic alkali atom is analyzed by the wavefunctions obtained. The structure of the positronic alkali atom has been regarded as a Ps cluster orbiting the alkali ion, which is described by the Ps–alkali ion channel. We point out that the fraction having the positron–alkali atom configuration is small but plays an indispensable role for the weakly bound system.
Various geometrical and energetical (bound-state) properties of the positronium negative ion $({\mathrm{Ps}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ or ${e}^{\ensuremath{-}}{e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}})$ are determined by using highly accurate variational wave functions. These wave functions have been constructed by applying the advanced two-stage strategy proposed by Frolov [Phys. Rev. A 57, 2436 (1998)]. The determined total energy of the ground state $E=\ensuremath{-}0.2620050702329757\mathrm{a}.\mathrm{u}.$ is the lowest and most accurate value obtained for this system to date (the corresponding binding energy equals $\ensuremath{-}0.326674721317821\mathrm{eV}).$ The computation of the second-order relativistic corrections $(\ensuremath{\simeq}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{2})$ to the total energy is discussed also. The general form of the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian in the relative coordinates for the ${\mathrm{Ps}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ion is presented.
We calculate the nonadiabatic binding energy and geometry of the weakly bound state of e+{e}^{+}e+Na. We use the Peach model potential, which includes both the dipole and an effective quadrupole term in the polarization, to describe the interaction of the electron and positron with the ion core. The effective three-body Schr\"odinger equation is solved with the finite element method. Because the model potential gives rise to three spurious states, the true ground state of e+{e}^{+}e+Na is embedded in a dense spectrum of spurious states. We develop a method for extracting the correct ground state for e+{e}^{+}e+Na, even when the energy is nearly degenerate with a spurious level. The calculated value for the binding energy is consistent with other calculations.
Investigating Role of Electron Correlation Effects via Triple Excitations for Precise Evaluation of Energies and Hyperfine Structure Constants in 23^{23}23Na
Accurate determination of hyperfine structure constants in atomic systems provides important insight into the interplay of electron correlation and relativistic effects in the nuclear region. Although sodium (Na) is a relatively light atom, previous all-order relativistic many-body calculations of the magnetic dipole hyperfine constants for the low-lying states of 23^{23}23Na show noticeable discrepancies with experiment. To address this, we calculate the ionization potentials and hyperfine structure constants of 23^{23}23Na using relativistic coupled-cluster theory with explicit inclusion of triple excitations. We further incorporate corrections from the Breit interaction, quantum electrodynamics, and the Bohr-Weisskopf (BW) effect. Results from lower-order methods are also presented to assess the importance of different physical contributions across states. Our calculations demonstrate that contributions from the lower-order relativistic and BW effects play almost similar roles with the electron correlation effects, including triple excitations, and are essential for reconciling theoretical predictions with experimental observations. This study can also serve as a useful guide for understanding the role of triples in heavier alkali systems.
The leading-order relativistic corrections to the ground-state energy of the positronium molecule (Ps2)({\mathrm{Ps}}_{2})(Ps2​) have been computed within the framework of perturbation theory. As the zero-order wave function we used a highly accurate nonrelativistic variational expansion in terms of 6000 explicitly correlated Gaussians that yielded the lowest variational upper bound for this system to date. We also report some expectation values representing the properties of Ps2{\mathrm{Ps}}_{2}Ps2​.
The parametric model potential developed by Peach for describing the electron interaction with the alkali-metal ion core yields energy levels that are in excellent agreement with the measurements of the spectra. Because of its relative simplicity, the lll-independent model potential is an attractive choice for studying positron--alkali-metal collisions. In order to test how well the model potential can be used to describe an effective three-body system, we use the Peach model potential to calculate the energy and geometry of the weakly bound e+Li{e}^{+}\mathrm{Li}e+Li and ${e}^{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Li}$ systems. The binding energy is in good agreement with calculations using the exact Hamiltonian.