A self-consistent procedure is presented for the determination of the properties of a many-fermion system, taking into account all two-particle correlations. We consider a system of
N fermions, interacting through two-body forces and write the wave function in the form, $\ensuremath{\Psi}={\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{0}+\ensuremath{\Sigma}{\mathrm{ij}}^{}{f}^{(2)}(\mathrm{ij})$, where ${\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{0}$ is a determinant of one-particle wave functions and
f(2)(ij) is an antisymmetrized product of ($N\ensuremath{-}2$) one-particle functions and of one two-particle function. By introducing two-particle functions for each electron pair, all two-particle correlations are taken into account. It is shown that for the best one- and two-particle functions a system of coupled integrodifferential equations can be derived. These equations are derived by varying the expectation value of the Hamiltonian with respect to the one- and two-particle functions, taking into account the normalization and orthogonality as subsidiary conditions. After eliminating the Lagrangian multipliers, we have obtained the following result. We obtained
N one-particle equations for the
N one-particle wave functions and one-particle orbital parameters. These equations are characterized by a potential (and exchange operator) in which, besides the Hartree-Fock type potential terms, there are also the potentials arising from the two-particle functions, where the latter occur in diagonal, as well as in nondiagonal form. For the two-particle functions and the orbital parameters associated with them, we have obtained two-particle equations in which the equation for the function ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{\mathrm{ij}}$ contains all one-particle functions and all the other two-particle functions. It is shown that the system of coupled one- and two-particle equations can be solved with a self-consistent procedure. The method can be applied to systems with any number of particles.
Problems with quantum systems models, violating Galilei invariance are examined. The method for arbitrary non-relativistic quantum system Galilei invariant wave function construction, applying a modified basis where center-of-mass excitations have been removed before Hamiltonian matrix diagonalization, is developed. For identical fermion system, the Galilei invariant wave function can be obtained while applying conventional antisymmetrization methods of wave functions, dependent on single particle spatial variables.
For identical particles, consisting of fermions, the upper bound for the number of particles that can occupy a single state is determined. In the macroscopic case, it is proportional to the square root of the number of possible ways of formation of particles of a given composition of all fermions present in the mixture (the normalization constant of the respective density matrix). Particles capable of accumulating in macroscopic quantities in one state can consist only of an even number of fermions of different kinds. In the case of atoms in a trap, this bound can approach arbitrarily close to the total number of atoms. Since the state of the centers of mass of the atoms is described by a symmetric wave function, they, like elementary bosons, can form a condensate, the coherence properties of the components of which are characterized by an antisymmetric wave function of a single atom in relative coordinates.
The method of correlated basis functions provides a means of systematically exploiting our intuitive understanding of real physical systems. Here we seek especially to develop a formalism for describing systems of strongly interacting fermions, for example, nuclei and liquid
He3, using a complete set of correlated functions ${\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{\mathrm{m}}=\frac{F{\ensuremath{\Phi}}_{\mathrm{m}}}{{({\ensuremath{\Phi}}_{\mathrm{m}}, {F}^{2}{\ensuremath{\Phi}}_{\mathrm{m}})}^{\frac{1}{2}}}$.
F is taken as a product of two-body factors, $\ensuremath{\Pi}{i<j}^{}[f({r}_{\mathrm{ij}})]$, the
f(rij) embodying at least the correlations arising from strong short-range repulsions; and ${{\ensuremath{\Phi}}_{\mathrm{m}}}$, a set of independent-particle-model functions which might serve as a basis in the absence of highly singular interactions. The matrix elements
Hmn,
Nmn of the Hamiltonian and identity operators with respect to the correlated basis ${{\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{\mathrm{m}}}$ are evaluated by generalization of cluster-expansion techniques developed originally for the calculation of the partition function of a classical imperfect gas and adapted to the quantum-mechanical many-body problem by Iwamoto and Yamada. Contributions to our expansions for the
Hmn are classified according to order of magnitude in the quantity $\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\omega}$, where $\ensuremath{\omega}=\ensuremath{\int}({f}^{2}(r)\ensuremath{-}1)d\mathrm{r}$ is a "correlation parameter" and $\ensuremath{\rho}$ the average particle density. To the extent that $|\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\omega}|$ is small, it provides a true expansion parameter. A detailed technical discussion of the cluster expansions is given, with special emphasis on their symmetry properties upon truncation. Although the many-body problem is soluble by simultaneous diagonalization of the matrices (
Hmn) and (
Nmn), it is preferable first to transform to an orthonormal basis of "unperturbed" correlated functions ${{\ensuremath{\Theta}}_{\mathrm{m}}}$ with respect to which the Hamiltonian and identity operators have the matrix representations (
Hmn) and $({N}_{\mathrm{mn}})=({\ensuremath{\delta}}_{\mathrm{mn}})$, and then to attempt the separate diagonalization of (
Hmn). In general, such a transformation is expedited by the L\"owdin procedure carried out to the desired order in $\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\omega}$. However, a Schmidt orthogonalization scheme might prove more advantageous in specific cases. Field-theoretic techniques (of both perturbative and nonperturbative nature) may be brought to bear in the diagonalization of (
Hmn). The inverse of the unitary transformation which takes the basis ${{\ensuremath{\Phi}}_{\mathrm{m}}}$ into the basis ${{\ensuremath{\Theta}}_{\mathrm{m}}}$, applied to the given singular Hamiltonian, leads---for any
F in the class considered---to a non-singular "effective Hamiltonian." Following this formal cue, we set out to construct explicitly a second-quantized effective Hamiltonian which generates the same matrix elements, to prescribed order in $\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\omega}$, when operating between independent-particle kets of the model occupation-number representation, as does the given Hamiltonian in the configuration-space representation, between the corresponding correlated functions of the L\"owdin basis. The quasiparticles described by this effective Hamiltonian interact via well-behaved two-body, three-body, \ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{},
Q-body, \ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{} potentials, in contrast to the highly singular two-body interactions of the real particles. For small $|\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\omega}|$, the effective two-body forces predominate. An avenue to deeper understanding of the applicability of the nuclear-shell model and the dressed-quasiparticle theory of liquid
He3 has been opened. This article treats only the formalism for a uniform extended medium. Numerical calculations, as well as the extension of the method to finite systems, will follow.
A quantum-mechanical three-body problem for two identical fermions of mass m and a distinct particle of mass m 1 in the universal limit of zero-range two-body interaction is studied. For the unambiguous formulation of the problem in the interval μ r < m / m 1 ≤ μ c ( μ r ≈ 8.619 and μ c ≈ 13.607 ) an additional parameter b determining the wave function near the triple-collision point is introduced; thus, a one-parameter family of self-adjoint Hamiltonians is defined. The dependence of the bound-state energies on m/m 1 and b in the sector of angular momentum and parity L P = 1 − is calculated and analysed with the aid of a simple model.