Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2008
1. The problem of calculating the polarizability of molecular hydrogen has recently been considered by a number of investigators. Steensholt and Hirschfelder use the variational method developed by Hylleras and Hassé. For ψ0, the wave function of the unperturbed molecule when no external field is present, they take either the Rosent or the Wang wave function, while the wave functions of the perturbed molecule were considered in both the one-parameter form, ψ0 [1+A(q1 + q2)] and the two-parameter form, ψ0 [1+A(q1 + q2) + B(r1q1 + r2q2)], where A and B are parameters to be varied so as to give the system a minimum energy, q1 and q2 are the coordinates of the electrons 1 and 2 in the direction of the applied field as measured from the centre of the molecule, and r1 and r2 are their respective distances from the same point. Mrowka, on the other hand, employs a method based on the usual perturbation theory. Their numerical results are given in the following table.
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* The contribution arising from. the ground state is given by the integral term in equation (9).