ASYMPTOTIC WAVE-FUNCTION FOR 3 CHARGED-PARTICLES IN THE CONTINUUM

We present an improved version of the wave function derived by Alt and Mukhamedzhanov [Phys. Rev. A 47, 2004 (1993)] that satisfies the Schr odinger equation up the terms of order O(1/rho(alpha)(2)) in the regio n where the pair alpha = (beta,gamma) remains close, while the third p article alpha moves to infinity (rho(alpha)(-->infinity)). The new wav e function contains the zeroth- and all the first-order O(1/rho(alpha) ) terms, and matches smoothly Redmond's asymptotics and the Redmond-Me rkuriev wave function when all three particles are well separated.