Jahn-Teller effect in three-body recombination of hydrogen atoms

Abstract

The three-body recombination rate coefficients of the $\mathrm{H}+\mathrm{H}+\mathrm{H}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{H}}_{2}+\mathrm{H}$ process for different final rovibrational levels of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ are determined using a fully quantum-mechanical approach at zero total angular momentum. The Jahn-Teller coupling between the lowest electronic states of the ${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$ system is accounted for. It is found that the Jahn-Teller effect substantially enhances the recombination rates for deeply bound dimers at room temperature but only leads to a 12% increase in the total three-body recombination rate. It is also found that the nascent population of the ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ molecules, formed in the recombination process, is dominated by highly excited rovibrational levels.