<span class="aps-inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mi mathvariant="italic">H</mi><mo>⊗</mo><mi></mi><mi mathvariant="italic">h</mi></math></span>: A Jahn-Teller Coupling That Really Does Reduce the Degeneracy of the Ground State

C. P. Moate; M. C. M. O'Brien; J. L. Dunn; C. A. Bates; Y. M. Liu; V. Z. Polinger

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.4362

$H \otimes h$ : A Jahn-Teller Coupling That Really Does Reduce the Degeneracy of the Ground State

C. P. Moate, M. C. M. O'Brien, J. L. Dunn, C. A. Bates, Y. M. Liu, and V. Z. Polinger

Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 4362 – Published 18 November 1996

Abstract

In all linear Jahn-Teller (JT) systems studied to date, the ground state, after allowing for the vibronic interaction, has always been of the same symmetry as the original electronic state. Furthermore, the ground state remains the same symmetry for all coupling strengths. We now report results for the $H \otimes h$ JT system (as occurs in various states of the $C_{60}$ molecule) where this is not the case. There are two possible types of JT effects in this system, depending upon whether $D_{3 d}$ or $D_{5 d}$ extrema are absolute minima. For the case of $D_{3 d}$ minima, we find that for couplings above a certain value the ground state is an A-type singlet, rather than the expected H-type quintet.

Received 12 July 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.4362

Authors & Affiliations

C. P. Moate¹, M. C. M. O'Brien², J. L. Dunn¹, C. A. Bates¹, Y. M. Liu¹, and V. Z. Polinger^1,3

¹Physics Department, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
²Sub-Department of Theoretical Physics, 1 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3NP, United Kingdom
³MSC Division, BYU-Hawaii Campus, Laie, Hawaii 96762-1294