Quantum Systems at The Brink: Properties of Atomic Bound States at The Ionization Threshold

We give a rigorous argument that long--range repulsion stabilizes quantum systems; ground states of such quantum systems exist even when the ground state energy is precisely at the ionization threshold. For atomic systems at the critical nuclear charge, our bounds show that the ground state falls off like $\exp(-c\sqrt{|x|})$ for large $|x|$. This is much slower than what the WKB method predicts for bound states with energies strictly below the ionization threshold. For helium type systems at critical nuclear charge, we show that our upper bounds are sharp. This rigorously confirms predictions by quantum chemists.