Bound states of an inverse-cube singular potential: A candidate for electron-quadrupole binding

Abstract

We use the Tridiagonal Representation Approach (TRA) to obtain exact bound states solution (energy spectrum and wave function) of the Schrödinger equation for a three-parameter short-range potential with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] singularities at the origin. The solution is a finite series of square-integrable functions with expansion coefficients that satisfy a three-term recursion relation. The solution of the recursion is a non-conventional orthogonal polynomial with discrete spectrum. The results of this work could be used to study the binding of an electron to a molecule with an effective electric quadrupole moment which has the same [Formula: see text] singularity.