Abstract
We study the electronic structures of hydrogen polymolecules (n=2,3,4,. . .) in a superstrong magnetic field (B≳ G) typically found on the surface of a neutron star. Simple analytical scaling relations for several limiting cases (e.g., large n, high B field) are derived. We numerically calculate the binding energies of molecules for various magnetic-field strengths. For n=2,3,4 we employ a Hartree-Fock method to determine the ground-state structure of the molecule in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. For n=∞ (a bound infinite chain) we use a variational method. For a given magnetic-field strength, the binding energy per atom in the molecule is found to approach a constant value as n increases. For typical field strengths of interest, energy saturation is essentially achieved once n exceeds 3 to 4. We also consider the structure of negative H ions in a high magnetic field. For B∼ G the dissociation energy of an atom in a hydrogen chain and the ionization potential of are smaller than the ionization potential of neutral atomic hydrogen.
- Received 11 October 1991
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.45.4832
©1992 American Physical Society