Nonexistence of Resonances in H22

The controversy of the existence of resonances in H22 ions is revisited. We calculate the hyperspherical adiabatic potential curves for H22. For 4S0 symmetry all the potential curves are repulsive, and thus no bound or resonance states exist. This conclusion contradicts the recent calculations of Sommerfeld et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 470 (1996); Phys. Rev. A 55, 1903 (1997)], where a 4S0 resonance has been predicted. We also calculate the potential curves for several values of the nuclear charge Z ranging between 1 and 2 and show that no resonance or bound state can exist for Z less than about 1.6. Based on the general ordering of energies of intrashell states, we show the conclusion of Sommerfeld et al. is in contradiction with experiment. [S0031-9007(97)05022-9]