Energy levels of Helium atoms

mike_in_england2000@yahoo.co.uk

Hi

I know that it is not possible to solve for the energy levels of a
Helium atom exactly but I was wondering how well they can be calculated
numerically. What methods are used?

Thanks

Mike

Murray Arnow

mike_in_england2000@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
>Hi
>I know that it is not possible to solve for the energy levels of a
>Helium atom exactly but I was wondering how well they can be calculated
>numerically. What methods are used?
>
>Thanks
>
>Mike
>

It can be calculated quite precisely. An excellent reference is
"Intermediate Quantum Mechanics" by Hans Bethe and Roman Jackiw. Most
books that discuss the Hartree-Fock method will have discussions on
two-electron atoms.

Arnold Neumaier

Murray Arnow wrote:
> mike_in_england2000@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
>
>>Hi
>>I know that it is not possible to solve for the energy levels of a
>>Helium atom exactly but I was wondering how well they can be calculated
>>numerically. What methods are used?
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>>Mike
>>
>
>
> It can be calculated quite precisely. An excellent reference is
> "Intermediate Quantum Mechanics" by Hans Bethe and Roman Jackiw. Most
> books that discuss the Hartree-Fock method will have discussions on
> two-electron atoms.
>

For rigorous bounds see the discussion in Thirring's Mathematical
Physics, Vol 3, Section 4.3.


Arnold Neumaier