α-sticking probability

The possibility that the muon may become bound to the α in D+T+μ-→n+α+μ- limits the number of times the μ- can catalyze D-T fusion. Hence the importance of calculating the α-sticking probability. The sticking probability depends on the form of the μ- wave function in each of the bound states of the DTμ- molecule when the D-T separation is zero. Calculations of this wave function in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation or by minimization of the energy of the DTμ- molecule may not be sufficiently accurate for determining the sticking probability for all bound states. Two alternatives for determining the wave function were considered. In the first, the time-dependent Schroedinger equation is solved for the μ- wave function while the D-T motion is treated classically. In the second, an integral form of the Schroedinger equation is solved directly by a numerical-iterative technique for the complete DTμ- wave function