A Quantum Mechanical Treatment of Electron Broadening in Strong Magnetic Fields. II. Large Enhancements due to Exchange Interactions

Abstract

We present a quantum treatment of atom–electron collisions in magnetic fields, demonstrating the significant importance of including the effect of exchange that arises from two interacting electrons. We find strange behaviors that are not encountered in collisions without a magnetic field. In high magnetic fields, exchange can lead to orders of magnitude enhancements of collision cross sections. Additionally, the elastic collision cross sections that involve the ground state become comparable to those involving excited states, and states with large orbits have the largest contribution to the collisions. We anticipate significant changes to spectral line broadening in neutron star surfaces and atmospheres.

Keywords

• Neutron stars
• Atomic spectroscopy
• Collisional broadening