Closed form representation for a projection onto infinitely dimensional subspace spanned by Coulomb bound states

Abstract

The closed form integral representation for the projection onto the subspace spanned by bound states of the two-body Coulomb Hamiltonian is obtained. The projection operator onto the $n^2$ dimensional subspace corresponding to the $n$-th eigenvalue in the Coulomb discrete spectrum is also represented as the combination of Laguerre polynomials of $n$-th and $(n-1)$-th order. The latter allows us to derive an analog of the Christoffel-Darboux summation formula for the Laguerre polynomials. The representations obtained are believed to be helpful in solving the breakup problem in a system of three charged particles where the correct treatment of infinitely many bound states in two body subsystems is one of the most difficult technical problems.