On the theory of atomic ionization following alpha decay

The α-decay of a nucleus may cause atomic ionization. One of the basic assumptions of Migdal's original paper, which is the prototype of all later calculations for this process, is to treat the α-particle outside the nuclear region classically as a point charge moving along a definite trajectory. In contrast to this picture, in the standard quantum-mechanical model of the α-decay, the α-particle is represented by a wave function that, after …