2001/06/30 by Horacio E Camblong, Luis N. Epele, Huner Fanchiotti +1 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · Mathematics · #hep-th #hep-ph #math-ph #math.MP #physics.atom-ph #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.87.220402
published as Phys.Rev.Lett. 87 (2001) 220402 · 4 pages
arxiv created 2001/11/12 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30
The interaction of an electron with a polar molecule is shown to be the simplest realization of a quantum anomaly in a physical system. The existence of a critical dipole moment for electron capture and formation of anions, which has been confirmed experimentally and numerically, is derived. This phenomenon is a manifestation of the anomaly associated with quantum symmetry breaking of the classical scale invariance exhibited by the point-dipole interaction. Finally, analysis of symmetry breaking for this system is implemented within two different models: point dipole subject to an anomaly and finite dipole subject to explicit symmetry breaking.