Chocian, P , Ihra, W and O'Mahony, P F (2000) Wannier threshold law and the classical-quantum correspondence in three-body Coulomb breakup. Physical Review A, 62 (1).
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We derive the classical threshold law for the breakup of three charged particles interacting via long-range Coulomb forces for the case of a charge ratio of 1/4 between the particles involved. The Wannier exponent in canonical Wannier theory is known to diverge in this case. We find that the classical threshold law, which is proportional to exp(-lambda/root E), shows exponential suppression of the ionization probability at threshold. We thus identify the possibility that exponential behavior in breakup processes, typically attributed to quantum-mechanical tunneling, can arise as a completely classical dynamical effect. We show that in the limit of zero energy, the behavior of the cross section is characterized by a classical to quantum transition. We discuss the regime of parameters in which this transition occurs and the possibility of an experimental observation of this transition.
This is a Submitted version This version's date is: 7/2000 This item is not peer reviewed
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