Excited $Σ$ states of the hydrogen-antihydrogen molecule

Abstract

Adopting explicitly correlated Kolos-Wolniewicz-type basis functions, the Born-Oppenheimer potential curves of a number of excited $Σ$ states of the hydrogen-antihydrogen system ($\bar{\rm H}$) were calculated for both, even and odd, Q symmetries, including also free positronium states. It is demonstrated that the excited leptonic states support ro-vibrational states with energies close to the ground-state dissociation threshold. As a consequence, the excited leptonic states need to be considered in theoretical treatments of ground-state H-$\bar{\mathrm{H}}$ collisions.