The Normal State of the Helium Molecule-Ions He2+ and He2++

Abstract

With the use of wave functions constructed from hydrogen‐like single‐electron functions with an effective nuclear charge Z, the application of the variation method of treating the wave equation for the normal state of He2 +, involving a three‐electron bond, leads to the values Z = 1.833, r 0 = 1.085A, De = 2.47 v.e., and ω0 = approximately 1950 cm—1. The experimentally determined values (from the He2 spectrum) are r 0 = 1.090A, De = 2.5 v.e., and ω½ = 1628 cm—1. A similar discussion of He2 ++, with a covalent‐plus‐ionic wave function, shows that the energy curve has a minimum at r 0 = 0.75A, ω0 = approximately 3200 cm—1, with a maximum 1.4 v.e. higher at about 1.1A. This configuration could act as the core for excited states of He2 + and doubly‐excited states of He2, some of which would be capable of existence with either one of two moments of inertia, one corresponding to r 0 = 0.75A and the other to about the same values of r 0 as for the analogous states in excited H2 + or doubly‐excited H2.