AUGER TRANSITION RATES FOR METASTABLE STATES OF ANTIPROTONIC HELIUM HE-BAR((P)OVER)

The rates of Auger transitions of antiprotonic helium He-4(+)(p) over bar and He-3(+)(p) over bar are calculated by using a variational scat tering method with an elaborate three-body trial function. The shift o f the energy levels of these systems due to the coupling with the Auge r-decay channels is also obtained from this calculation. Thus an impro vement is made over the previously calculated nonrelativistic energies . Together with the relativistic corrections calculated elsewhere, the theoretical transition wavelength between the states (n,l)=(37,34) an d (38,33) of H-4(+)(p) over bar, for example, is significantly improve d to be 713.593 nm, which compares well with the experimental value 71 3.578+/-0.006 nm. The calculated Auger lifetime of the level (38,33) i s 3.2 ps, as compared with the value 4.1+/-0.2 ps deduced from the mea sured line broadening. Auger rates are calculated also using Fermi's g olden-rule formula with a regular Coulomb function with no phase shift for the Auger electron. The results agree fairly well with the accura te variational results. [S1050-2947(97)05912-X].