Quadrupole moments as measures of electron correlation in two-electron atoms

We have calculated quadrupole moments, Qzz, of helium in several of its doubly excited states and in two of its singly excited Rydberg states, and of the alkaline-earth atoms Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba in their ground and low-lying excited states. The calculations use well-converged, frozen-core configuration-interaction (CI) wave functions and, for interpretive purposes, Hartree-Fock (HF) atomic wave functions and single-term, optimized, molecular rotor-vibrator (RV) wave functions. The quadrupole moments calculated using RV wave functions serve as a test of the validity of the correlated, moleculelike model, which has been used to describe the effects of electron correlation in these two-electron and pseudo-two-electron atoms. Likewise, the quadrupole moments calculated with HF wave functions test the validity of the independent-particle model. In addition to their predictive use and their application to testing simple models, the quadrupole moments calculated with CI wave functions reveal previously unavailable information about the electronic structure of these atoms. Experimental methods by which these quadrupole moments might be measured are also discussed. The quadrupole moments computed from CI wave functions are presented as predictions; measurements of Qzz have been made for only two singly excited Rydberg states of He, and a value of Qzz has been computed previously for only one of the states reported here. We present these results in the hope of stimulating others to measure some of these quadrupole moments.