Peculiarities of the electron energy spectrum in the Coulomb field of a superheavy nucleus

DOI10.1134/S0040577916050032zbMATH Open1346.81038arXiv1512.01804MaRDI QIDQ309316FDOQ309316

Authors: B. L. Voronov, D. M. Gitman, A. D. Levin, Rita Ferreira 

Publication date: 7 September 2016

Published in: Theoretical and Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Just after the Dirac equation was established, a number of physicists tried to comment on and solve the spectral problem for the Dirac Hamiltonian with the Coulomb field of arbitrarily large charge $Z$, especially with $Z$ that is more than the critical value $Z_{mathrmc}=alph{a}^{-1}simeq137,04$, making sometimes contradictory conclusions and presenting doubtful solutions. It seems that there is no consesus on this problem up until now and especially on the way of using corresponding solutions of the Dirac equation in calculating physical processes. That is why in the present article, we turn once again to discussing peculiarities of electron energy spectrum in the Coulomb field of superheavy nucleus. In the beginning, we remind the reader of a long story with a wrong interpretation of the problem in the case of a point nucleus and its present correct solution. We then turn to the spectral problem in the case of a regularized Coulomb field. Under a specific regularization, we derive an exact spectrum equation determining the point spectrum in the energy interval $(-m,m)$ and present some of its numerical solutions. We also derive an exact equation for charges $Z$ providing bound states with energy $E=-m$. Its analytical and numerical analysis shows that there exists an infinite number of such charges; in this connection , we discuss the notion of supercritical charge.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1512.01804

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zbMATH Keywords

Dirac equationelectron-positron pair creationspectral problemsupercritical Coulomb field

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Closed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics (81Q05) Electromagnetic interaction; quantum electrodynamics (81V10) Covariant wave equations in quantum theory, relativistic quantum mechanics (81R20)

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Cited In (11)

• Relativistic Coulomb problem for \(Z\) larger than 137
• Electronic structure of super heavy atoms revisited
• Electronic vacuum charge for an overcritical nucleus
• Inhomogeneous electron density in the static field of nuclei
• Pushing the limits of the periodic table -- a review on atomic relativistic electronic structure theory and calculations for the superheavy elements
• Approximate solutions to the Klein-Fock-Gordon equation for the sum of Coulomb and ring-shaped-like potentials
• Coulomb repulsion, point-like nuclear charges, Dirac paradox, soft nuclear charge density and hypermultiplet nuclear repulsion
• Supercritical fields and short living giant atoms
• QFT treatment of processes in strong external backgrounds
• The Dirac Hamiltonian with a superstrong Coulomb field
• Unstable electron states in the field of a superheavy nucleus

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