Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

"This thesis presents a time-dependent approach for the solution of the quantum mechanical three-body problem. The solution presented here is exact in that the approximations are numerical. All the Coulomb interactions between the three particles are taken into account with no approximations.

In the time-dependent approach, the quantum mechanical wave functions for the system are obtained at successive times. One of the possible three-body problems is electron-hydrogen scattering. For this case, time-dependent probabilities for exciting the hydrogen atom may be obtained by projecting the states of the target atom onto the time-dependent correlated two-electron wave function. Measurable cross sections for electron impact excitation are obtained at the point where the probabilities are no longer changing with time.

The accuracy of this approach is found to be dependent on the total angular momentum. In the lowest total angular momentum, L = 0 case, the angular momentum coupling terms do not contribute and the results compare favorably with those obtained from other methods. However, with increasing total angular momentum, there are numerical instabilities that are associated with the coupling terms. It is found that there is an angular range for the stability of the coupling terms for each total angular momentum. This range greatly reduces with increasing total angular momentum"--Abstract, page iii.

Advisor(s)

Madison, Don H.
Peacher, Jerry

Committee Member(s)

Schulz, Michael, 1959-
Olson, Ronald E.
Knight, W. Nicholas (William Nicholas), 1939-
Erçal, Fikret

Department(s)

Physics

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Physics

Sponsor(s)

National Science Foundation (U.S.)

Comments

National Science Foundation provided financial support for this work.

Publisher

University of Missouri--Rolla

Publication Date

Spring 2000

Pagination

x, 164 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 160-163).

Rights

© 2000 Dan Onyango Odero, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Dissertation - Restricted Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 7760

Print OCLC #

45657465

Electronic OCLC #

1112606271

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