Abstract
A calculation of van der Waal's potential of two atoms at large separation has been carried out for hydrogen and helium. The method depends upon a representation of the perturbed wave function of the system as where is the unperturbed wave function, the perturbing potential and is a function of the radial coordinates of the electrons. The method is equally well adapted to the calculation of polarizabilities. A computation of the mutual energy of two hydrogen atoms confirms the results of Eisenschitz and London. The polarizability of helium is calculated as 0.210× cc which agrees well with the experimental value, 0.205×. The mutual energy of two helium atoms is found to be -3.18 . A correlation between the mutual energy of the two molecules, , and the polarizability, , is obtained: where is the number of electrons in the highest quantum state in the molecule, the energy of the hydrogen atom in the normal state, and is the separation of the molecules. By means of this formula, the van der Waals cohesive pressure constant is calculated for Ne, A, , , , and C.
- Received 5 February 1931
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.37.682
©1931 American Physical Society