Exact quantum defect theory approach for lithium in magnetic fields

We calculate the diamagnetic spectrum of lithium at highly excited states up to the positive energy range using the exact quantum defect theory approach. The concerned excitation is one-photon transition from the ground state 2s to the highly excited states np with π and σ polarizations respectively. Lithium has a small quantum defect value 0.05 for the np states, and its diamagnetic spectrum is very similar to that of hydrogen in the energy range approaching the ionization limit. However, a careful calculation shows that the spectrum has a significant discrepancy with that of hydrogen when the energy is lower than -70 cm-1. The effect of the quantum defect is also discussed for the Stark spectrum. It is found that the σ transition to the np states in an electric field has a similar behavior to that of hydrogen due to zero interaction with channel ns.