Hydrogen atom wave function and eigen energy in the Rindler space

• Published in: Physics letters. A Vol. 380; no. 43; pp. 3601 - 3606
• Main Author: Dai, De-Chang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 23.10.2016
• Subjects: Acceleration; Hydrogen; Rindler spacetime; Wavefunction; Wavefunction; Rindler spacetime; Acceleration; Hydrogen
• ISSN: 0375-9601; 1873-2429
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physleta.2016.08.056

•The hydrogen atom eigenstate energy and wave function in the Rindler space are studied.•An accelerated detector's structure will be distorted.•How a detector responses to an external force determines its own structure.•A hydrogen atom can be split into an ion by an external force. We study the hydrogen atom eigenstate energy and wave function in the Rindler space. The probability distribution is tilted because the electric field of the nucleus is no longer spherically symmetric. The hydrogen atom therefore cannot be treated exactly in the same way as what it is in an inertial frame. We also find that if the external force accelerates only the nucleus and then the nucleus accelerates its surrounding electrons through electromagnetic force, the electrons can tunnel through the local energy gap and split the hydrogen atom into an ion. This is similar to what one expects from the Stark effect. However, the critical acceleration is about 3×1022 m/s2. It is well beyond the gravitational acceleration on a regular star surface.