The molecule ${\rm H}_2$ in a strong magnetic field revisited

TL;DR

This study presents a highly accurate variational calculation of the ground state energy of the hydrogen molecule in strong magnetic fields, using a compact trial function within the Born-Oppenheimer approximation.

Contribution

It introduces a simple, physically adequate variational approach to compute H₂ energy in magnetic fields up to 10^{13} G, improving precision over previous models.

Findings

High-accuracy energy calculations for H₂ in strong magnetic fields.

Validation of a compact variational trial function approach.

Results applicable to astrophysical environments like neutron star atmospheres.

Abstract

A compact, few-parametric, physically adequate, 3-term variational trial function is used to calculate with high accuracy the energy of the ground state ${}^3\Pi_u$ of the hydrogen molecule ${\rm H}_2$ in strong magnetic field ${\bf B}$ in the range $5\times10^{10}\, {\rm G} \leq B \leq 10^{13}\,$G. The nuclei (protons) are assumed as infinitely massive (BO appproximation of zero order) and situated along the magnetic field line (parallel configuration).