Parabolic Sturmians approach to the three-body continuum Coulomb problem

Abstract

The three-body continuum Coulomb problem is treated in terms of the generalized parabolic coordinates. Approximate solutions are expressed in the form of a Lippmann-Schwinger type equation, where the Green's function includes the leading term of the kinetic energy and the total potential energy, whereas the potential contains the non-orthogonal part of the kinetic energy operator. As a test of this approach, the integral equation for the $(e^-,\, e^-,\, {{He}^{++}})$ system is solved numerically by using the parabolic Sturmian basis representation of the (approximate) potential. Convergence of the expansion coefficients of the solution is obtained as the basis set used to describe the potential is enlarged.