Potential energy curve of 1Σ+ Li+/He

The potential energy curve of the system Li⁺/He has been determined with moderately large basis sets for 0.5 ? r ? 10.0 a₀ both at the SCF level and including correlation. The present SCF results predict a deeper well (?0.00248 au) at a smaller r(3.66 a₀) compared with earlier calculations. Correlation deepens the well further (?0.00274 au), but pulls it inward slightly (3.63 a₀). In the repulsive part the calculated curve lies above the experimental one, especially at shorter distances. A similar behavior has been noted in the systems Li⁺/H₂, Li⁺/CO and Li⁺/N₂, suggesting that the experimental determinations may underestimate the interaction in this region by 10–20%.