Analytic potentials and vibrational energies for Li$_{2}$ states dissociating to $\mbox{Li}\left(2S\right)+\mbox{Li}\left(3P\right)$. Part 1: The $^{2S+1}\Pi_{u/g}$ states

Abstract

Analytic potentials are built for all four $^{2S+1}\Pi_{u/g}$ states of Li$_{2}$ dissociating to Li$(2S)$ + Li$(3P)$: $3b(3^{3}\Pi_{u})$, $3B(3^{1}\Pi_{u})$, $3C(3^{1}\Pi_{g}),$ and $3d(3^{3}\Pi_{g})$. These potentials include the effect of spin-orbit coupling for large internuclear distances, and include state of the art long-range constants. This is the first successful demonstration of fully analytic diatomic potentials that capture features that are usually considered too difficult to capture without a point-wise potential, such as multiple minima, and shelves. Vibrational energies for each potential are presented for the isotopologues $^{6,6}$Li$_{2}$, $^{6,7}$Li$_{2}$, $^{7,7}$Li$_{2}$, and the elusive `halo nucleonic molecule' $^{11,11}$Li$_{2}$. These energies are claimed to be accurate enough for new high-precision experimental setups such as the one presented in {[}Sebastian \emph{et al.} Phys. Rev. A, \textbf{90}, 033417 (2014){]} to measure and assign energy levels of these electronic states, all of which have not yet been explored in the long-range region. Measuring energies in the long-range region of these electronic states may be significant for studying the \emph{ab initio} vs experiment discrepancy discussed in {[}Tang \emph{et al.} Phys. Rev. A, \textbf{84}, 052502 (2014){]} for the $C_{3}$ long-range constant of Lithium, which has significance for improving the SI definition of the second.