Chin. Phys. B, 2008, Vol. 17(8): 2897-2908    DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/17/8/024
 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS Prev   Next

# Peculiar features of the interaction potential between hydrogen and antihydrogen at intermediate separations

Wang Lee-Shiena, Lee Teck-Gheeb, Wong Cheuk-Yinc
a Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California 91711, USA; b Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA;Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA; c Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA;School of Physics \& Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Abstract  This paper evaluates the interaction potential between a hydrogen and an antihydrogen using the second-order perturbation theory within the framework of the four-body system in a separable two-body basis. It finds that the H--$\bar{\rm H}$ interaction potential possesses the peculiar features of a shallow local minimum located around interatomic separations of $r\sim 6$\,a.u. and a barrier rising at $r\lesssim5$\,a.u.
Keywords:  H--$\bar{\rm H}$ interaction      few-body problems      potential energy curve      perturbation theory
Received:  15 November 2007      Revised:  27 December 2007      Published:  20 August 2008
 PACS: 34.20.Cf (Interatomic potentials and forces) 31.15.ve (Electron correlation calculations for atoms and ions: ground state) 34.50.-s (Scattering of atoms and molecules)
Fund: Project supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No 10575024), and in part by the Division of Nuclear Physics, Department of Energy (Grant No DE-AC05-00OR22725) managed by UT-Battelle, LLC.