Low-energy direct muon transfer from H to Ne$^{10+}$, S$^{16+}$ and Ar$^{18+}$ using two-state close-coupling approximation to Faddeev-Hahn-type equation

Abstract

We perform three-body calculation of direct muon-transfer rates from thermalized muonic hydrogen isotopes to bare nuclei Ne$^{10+}$, S$^{16+}$, and Ar$^{18+}$ employing integro-differential Faddeev-Hahn-type equations in configuration space with two-state close-coupling approximation scheme. All Coulomb potentials including the strong final-state Coulomb repulsion are treated exactly. A long-range polarization potential is included in the elastic channel to take into account the high polarizability of the muonic hydrogen. The transfer rates so calculated are in good agreement with recent experiments. We find that the muon is captured predominantly in the $n=6$, 9, and 10 states of muonic Ne$^{10+}$, S$^{16+}$, and Ar$^{18+}$, respectively.