Three identical particles on a line: comparison of some exact and approximate calculations

The three-body scattering problem is formulated in the adiabatic representation as a multi-channel spectral problem for a set of coupled one-dimensional integral equations. New stable variational-iteration schemes are developed to calculate the Hamiltonian eigenfunctions and energy eigenvalues, as well as the reaction matrix in the eigenphase shift representation, with prescribed accuracy. The convergence and efficiency of the method are demonstrated in the vicinity of the three-body threshold in the exactly solvable model of three identical particles fixed on a line and coupled with pair-repulsive or attractive zero-range potentials. (author). Letter-to-the-editor