Relativistic many-body calculations of van der Waals coefficients for Yb-Li and Yb-Rb dimers

Abstract

We derive the relativistic formulas for the van der Waals coefficients of Yb-alkali dimers that correlate to ground and excited separated-atom limits. We calculate $C_6$ and $C_8$ coefficients of particular experimental interest. We also derive a semi-empirical formula that expresses the $C_8$ coefficient of heteronuclear $A+B$ dimers in terms of the $C_6$ and $C_8$ coefficients of homonuclear dimers and the static dipole and quadrupole polarizabilities of the atomic states $A$ and $B$. We report results of calculation of the $C_6$ coefficients for the Yb-Rb $^3/!P_1^o+5s\, ^2/!S_{1/2}$ and $^1/!S_0+5p\, ^2/!P^o_{1/2}$ dimers, and the $C_8$ coefficients for the Yb-Li $^1/!S_0+2s\, ^2/!S_{1/2}$ and Yb-Rb $^1/!S_0+5s\, ^2/!S_{1/2}$ dimers. Uncertainties are estimated for all predicted properties.