Three-Potential Formalism for the Atomic Three-Body Problem

Based on a three-potential formalism we propose mathematically well-behaved Faddeev-type integral equations for the atomic three-body problem and describe their solutions in Coulomb-Sturmian space representation. Although the system contains only long-range Coulomb interactions these equations allow us to reach a solution by approximating only some auxiliary short-range potentials. We outline the method for bound states and demonstrate its power in benchmark calculations. We can report a fast convergence in angular-momentum channels. Received September 30, 1997; accepted in final form January 23, 1998