Excited-state positronium formation from positron–atomic-hydrogen collisions

Positronium formation into ground and n=2 levels has been studied in collisions of positrons with atomic hydrogen in the framework of an approximation called the boundary-corrected continuum-intermediate-state (BCCIS) approximation in the energy range of 0.08--2 keV. The conventional continuum-intermediate-state approximation does not satisfy the correct boundary condition. It has been shown that, with a suitable choice of the distorting potential, the boundary condition may be satisfied with a proper account of the intermediate continuum states. It has also been shown that the BCCIS approximation leads to the same transition amplitude as may be derived using the Vainshtein-Presnyakov-Sobelman approximation. The results obtained here are found to be in good agreement when compared with other theoretical results.