What are the average and transition energies for a muonic hydrogen atom?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on calculating the average separation and transition energies for a muonic hydrogen atom, where a muon orbits a proton. The average separation in the ground state is determined using the modified Bohr radius, which accounts for the muon's mass. For transition energies, the user is uncertain about the approach, considering the use of wavefunctions but is advised that they are not necessary. The transition energies are linked to the energy levels of the muon in the atom. Overall, the calculations involve adapting concepts from the hydrogen atom to the muonic case.
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Average Separation of Muon and Proton

Homework Statement



A muon is a particle with a mass of 206.7 me where me is the electron mass, and with the same charge as an electron. It can be captured in "orbit" by a proton to form a muonic hydrogen atom.
a. Find the average separation <r> of proton and muon in the ground state of the system (in meters).

b. Determine the minimum and maximum bound state transition energies to the ground state of the system, in eV.

Homework Equations



normal hydrogen atom
R10=2a-3/2e-r/a

Y00 = √(1/4pi)
Y01 = √(3/(4pi)cos(θ)
Y1±1 = √(3/(8pi))sinθe^(±iθ)


The Attempt at a Solution



a. For the electron, the average separation would be ∫R10rR10r2dr
Now for the muon, is it simply a plug-in of the Bohr radius a = 4∏ε0[STRIKE]h[/STRIKE]/(206.7*m*e2)?

b. I'm actually not sure how to approach this. Would it be something like doing <Y01|H|Y00>? I could be totally off.

Thanks for any input.
 
Last edited:
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(a) is similar to the electron problem, and the distance just scales as the Bohr radius, indeed.
(b) what are the energy levels of the muon?

You don't need any wavefunctions here.
 
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