Three-body molecular formation in muon-catalyzedd-tfusion: The role of configuration mixing

Configuration mixing of the rotational states of the [(dtμ)d2e${]}^{\mathrm{*}}$ complex formed in tμ+${\mathrm{D}}_2$ collisions arises because of the torque exerted on it by any neighboring molecule. The resulting three-body term in the resonant molecular formation rate is calculated in the quasistatic picture and turns out to be comparable to the two-body term. Numerical results are presented for several values of the (dtμ${)}_{11}$ binding energy. This effect may be large enough to explain the observed three-body effect in molecular formation without the collisional line-broadening contributions discussed previously.