The helium atom in a strong magnetic field

We investigate the electronic structure of the helium atom in a magnetic field between B = 0 and . The atom is treated as a nonrelativistic system with two interacting electrons and a fixed nucleus. Scaling laws are provided connecting the fixed-nucleus Hamiltonian to the one for the case of finite nuclear mass. Respecting the symmetries of the electronic Hamiltonian in the presence of a magnetic field, we represent this Hamiltonian as a matrix with respect to a two-particle basis composed of one-particle states of a Gaussian basis set. The corresponding generalized eigenvalue problem is solved numerically, providing results for vanishing magnetic quantum number M = 0 and even or odd z -parity, each for both singlet and triplet spin symmetry. Total electronic energies of the ground state and the first few excitations in each subspace as well as their one-electron ionization energies are presented as a function of the magnetic field, and their behaviour is discussed. Energy values for electromagnetic transitions within the M = 0 subspace are shown, and a complete table of wavelengths at all the detected stationary points with respect to their field dependence is given, thereby providing a basis for a comparison with observed absorption spectra of magnetic white dwarfs.