Few-body systems in the low-energy regime: antimatter physics of protonium formation and four-atomic HD+H2 and HD+HD scattering at cold and ultra-cold temperatures

• Grant number: 14/07795-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: August 21, 2014
• End date: October 21, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Principal Investigator: Sadhan Kumar Adhikari
• Grantee: Sadhan Kumar Adhikari
• Visiting researcher: Renat Sultanov
• Visiting researcher institution: St. Cloud State University, United States
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/00451-0 - Study of properties of Bose-Einstein Condensate: dipolar atoms and condensate of fermions, AP.TEM

Abstract

Atomic and Coulomb few-body systems are the subjects of this proposal. We plan to study diatomic molecule-molecule collisions at cold and ultra-cold temperatures. Specifically, the H2+HD and HD+HD four-atomic systems will be considered, where H is hydrogen and D is deuterated hydrogenatoms. Recently published H2-H2 potential energy surface (PES) will be used in our calculations for the elastic scattering and for the rotational energy transfer between the hydrogen molecules. Particular attention will be given to the HD+HD system in connection with the investigation of the quantum-mechanical entanglement effect in a system of two identical molecules with a permanent dipole moment. The second part of this proposal is devoted to the Coulomb three-body problem. Specifically, we propose to study an ultra low-energy collision between an antiproton and a muonic hydrogen atom. A set of coupled few-body Faddeev-type equations will be applied. The main goal of this part of the project is to study the interplay between Coulomb and nuclear forces and the annihilation channel in the protonium atom, which is a bound state of proton and antiproton. This scientific project is considered for the period of two months. It is planned as a mutual research work between IFT, UNESP, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil and St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA. The research will be done in IFT, Sao Paulo, Brazil. (AU)