Physical Review A
Collisional deactivation of the 5s and 4p states of Na by N2
Thomas F. Gallagher, William E. Cooke, S. A. Edelstein
Abstract
The collisional deactivation of the Na $5s$ and $4p$ states by collisions with ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ molecules has been studied using the method of laser-induced fluorescence. The total cross sections for the depopulation of the $5s$ and $4p$ states are 86(8) and 43(4) ${\mathrm{\AA{}}}^{2}$, respectively. The cross sections for the specific collisional transfers $5s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}4p$, $5s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}3d$, and $4p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}3d$ are 32(8), 10(2), and 19(3) ${\mathrm{\AA{}}}^{2}$, respectively.