We present the first theoretical line profile calculations of the ultraviolet spectral lines of carbon perturbed by helium using a semiclassical collision approach and high-quality ab initio potentials and electronic transition dipole moments. The temperature range is from 5000 to 8000 K. These results are important for astrophysical modelling of spectra in atmospheres of white dwarf stars showing atomic carbon in an helium atmosphere. Beyond the conventional symmetrical Lorentzian core at low He density, these lines exhibit a blue asymmetric behaviour. This blue asymmetry is a consequence of low maxima in the corresponding C–He potential energy difference curves at short internuclear distances. The collisional profiles are carefully examined and their perturber density dependence allow to understand the various line shapes of the observed carbon spectral lines in helium-rich white dwarf photosphere where the He perturber densities reach several 1021 cm−3.

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For many years, the recombination of excited ions of argon, Ar+(P1/22), has been assumed negligible under ambient conditions as compared to the recombination of ground-state ions, Ar+(P3/22). This opinion was confronted with detailed experimental results that seem to clearly support it. Here, we propose a new interpretation in light of our recent calculations, which shows that the recombination efficiency is comparable for both fine-structure states. Noteworthily, in our model leading to a picture consistent with the experiment, residual dimer ions emerge from Ar+(P1/22) due to non-adiabatic dynamics effects and interplay in measured data.

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In this article, we explore the construction of Hamiltonians with long-range interactions and their corrections using the short-range behavior of the wave function. A key aspect of our investigation is the examination of the one-particle potential, kept constant in our previous work, and the effects of its optimization on the adiabatic connection. Our methodology involves the use of a parameter-dependent potential dependent on a single parameter to facilitate practical computations. We analyze the energy errors and densities in a two-electron system (harmonium) under various conditions, employing different confinement potentials and interaction parameters. The study reveals that while the mean-field potential improves the expectation value of the physical Hamiltonian, it does not necessarily improve the energy of the system within the bounds of chemical accuracy. We also delve into the impact of density variations in adiabatic connections, challenging the common assumption that a mean field improves results. Our findings indicate that as long as energy errors remain within chemical accuracy, the mean field does not significantly outperform a bare potential. This observation is attributed to the effectiveness of corrections based on the short-range behavior of the wave function, a universal characteristic that diminishes the distinction between using a mean field or not.

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A general scheme for calculating ternary recombination rate constants of atomic species based on a hybrid quantum–classical nonadiabatic dynamics approach is presented and applied to the specific case of the ternary recombination of atomic ions of argon in cold argon plasmas. Rate constants are reported for both fine-structure states of the ion, and , T = 300 K, and for selected values of the reduced electric field. A thorough comparison with the literature data available for T = 300 K and a couple of close temperatures is performed with a favorable agreement achieved. It is shown that the excited ions may contribute to the formation of dimer ions, , as efficiently as the ground-state ions, , due to fast internal conversion of the electronic energy, which takes place in ternary collision complexes, .

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