Classical Description of Resonant Charge Exchange Involving the Second Flavor of Hydrogen Atoms

Eugene Oks

doi:10.3390/atoms9030041

Abstract

We studied the consequences of the existence of the second flavor of hydrogen atoms (SFHA)—the existence proven by atomic experiments and evidenced by astrophysical observations—on the resonant charge exchange. We found analytically that there is indeed an important difference in the corresponding cross-sections for the SFHA compared to the usual hydrogen atoms. This difference could serve as an additional tool for distinguishing between the two kinds of hydrogen atoms in future experiments/observations. We also show that the SFHA does not exhibit any Stark effect—whether in a uniform or a non-uniform electric field—in any order of the perturbation theory.

Highlights

We show analytically that there is an important difference in the classical cross-section of the resonant charge exchange during the collision of the proton with the second flavor of hydrogen atoms (SFHA) compared to the collision of the proton with the usual hydrogen atom
Let us first explain that the SFHA does not exhibit any Stark effect in any order of the perturbation theory, neither in the uniform electric field nor in the non-uniform electric field of the proton
We analyzed whether the classical cross-section of the resonant charge exchange would be different for the SFHA due to the fact that the SFHA has only S-states

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The allowance for the SFHA eliminated a huge (by many orders of magnitude) discrepancy between the experimental and theoretical results for the high-energy tail of the linear momentum distribution in the ground state of hydrogen atoms [1]. This constituted the experimental proof of the existence of the SFHA. There is another piece of evidence in favor of the existence of the SFHA—from astrophysics Their existence can explain recent puzzling astrophysical observations concerning the redshifted radio line 21 cm from the early Universe [5]: the explanation presented in Paper [4] did not require resorting to hypothetical, never discovered subatomic particles—in distinction to the explanation from Paper [6]. We show analytically that there is an important difference in the classical cross-section of the resonant charge exchange during the collision of the proton with the SFHA compared to the collision of the proton with the usual hydrogen atom

Analytic Calculations for Usual Hydrogen Atoms

The Corresponding Results for the Second Flavor of Hydrogen Atoms

Conclusions