Library of Congress Cataloging•in•Publication Data. Atoms in strong magnetic fields: quantum mechanical treatment and applications in astrophysics and quantum chaos 1 H. Ruder ... [et al.]. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. \. Atomic transition probabilities. 2. Stars-Magnetic fields. 3. White dwarfs. 4. Neutron stars. 5. Quantum chaos.

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The energy values of many low-lying states of the one-electron problem in the presence of a homogeneous magnetic field of arbitrary strength (0<B<or=4.7*108 T) are calculated with high numerical accuracy for a sufficiently dense mesh of B. The wavefunctions are expanded either in terms of spherical harmonics (weak and moderate fields) or in terms of Landau states (strong and very strong fields), with r- or z-dependent expansion functions that are determined with the use of an adopted version of the MCHF code of Froese Fischer (1978). At intermediate field strengths up to 24 expansion terms are included. The structural change of the wavefunctions with magnetic field is discussed quantitatively for a few representative states. As an application, the splittings of the components of the Lyman- alpha , beta , and the Balmer- alpha lines of the hydrogen atom are presented (including the effects of the finite proton mass) as continuous functions of the field strength over the whole range of B considered.

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Recently it was pointed out by Shabad and Usov that in the vicinity of pulsars high-energy photons can be captured by the strong magnetic field without creating pairs. We have reconsidered this process and find that the captured "photon" is transformed into bound positronium. This positronium can be ionized by the intense electric fields present in the polar cap region, or by thermal radiation from the neutron star surface, whereby the free electrons and positrons are regained that are urgently required for the models of pulsar radio emission.