COMPUTED ENERGY CURVES FOR MODELING THE DISSOCIATION OF HELIUM TRIMERIONS

Highly correlated calculations of the collinear, symmetric break-up of helium trimer ions are carried out using an MRD-Cl expansion and over a broad range of fragment relative distances. The general features of the lower roots of Sigma(g), Sigma(u), IIg and IIu symmetries are ana lysed in relation to recent experimental findings and are found to pro vide an explanation for the observed behaviour of the experimental fra gmentation peaks.