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Physical Review A

Inelastic collisions between selectively excited rubidium 6D2 -state atoms and noble-gas atoms: Fine-structure-state mixing

Byron George Zollars, Hans A. Schuessler, Joel Wm. Parker, R. H. Hill

Published Sep 1, 1983• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Inelastic collisional processes in fine-structure-state mixing have been studied by selective stepwise excitation and observation of the resulting fluorescence during collisions of excited rubidium $6^{2}D_{\frac{5}{2}}$ state atoms with various noble-gas atoms. It is shown that for intermediately excited rubidium atoms the fine-structure-state mixing cross sections are generally increasing from helium to xexon. The cross sections for the process $\mathrm{Rb}(6^{2}D_{\frac{5}{2}})+A(n^{1}S_{0})\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{Rb}(6^{2}D_{\frac{3}{2}})+A(n^{1}S_{0})+\ensuremath{\Delta}E$ have the values ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{fs}}^{*}=2.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.9, 3.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.2, 2.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.0, 5.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.2, \mathrm{and} 9.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5.6$ in units of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}14}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$, where $A$ denotes in sequence any one of the noble gas atoms He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe, respectively. Transfer cross sections for the transfer of excited Rb$6^{2}D$-state atoms out of the doublet were also determined and are about an order of magnitude smaller than the fine-structure-mixing cross sections.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.28.1329

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92 D fine-structure mixing in rubidium by collisions with ground-state Rb and noble-gas atoms

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The following cross sections for ${9}^{2}$${D}_{3/2}$\ensuremath{\leftrightarrows}${9}^{2}$${D}_{5/2}$ fine-structure mixing in Rb, induced in collisions with ground-state Rb and noble-gas atoms, have been measured using methods of atomic fluorescence spectroscopy: Q${(9}^{2}$${D}_{3/2}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${9}^{2}$${D}_{5/2}$) =93, 9, 6, 26, and 42; Q${(9}^{2}$${D}_{3/2}$\ensuremath{\leftarrow}${9}^{2}$${D}_{5/2}$) =62, 6, 3, 17, and 23, for Rb, He, Ne, Ar, and Kr, respectively, in units of ${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}14}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. The measured cross sections are in good agreement with recent theoretical calculations of Sirko and Rosi\ifmmode \acute{n}\else \'{n}\fi{}ski.

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Inelastic collisional processes in fine-structure-state mixing have been studied by selective stepwise excitation and observation of the resulting fluorescence during collisions of excited rubidium 62D526^{2}D_{\frac{5}{2}}62D25​​ state atoms with various noble-gas atoms. It is shown that for intermediately excited rubidium atoms the fine-structure-state mixing cross sections are generally increasing from helium to xexon. The cross sections for the process Rb(62D52)+A(n1S0)\ensuremath→Rb(62D32)+A(n1S0)+\ensuremathΔE\mathrm{Rb}(6^{2}D_{\frac{5}{2}})+A(n^{1}S_{0})\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{Rb}(6^{2}D_{\frac{3}{2}})+A(n^{1}S_{0})+\ensuremath{\Delta}ERb(62D25​​)+A(n1S0​)\ensuremath→Rb(62D23​​)+A(n1S0​)+\ensuremathΔE have the values \ensuremathσfs∗=2.4\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi0.9,3.1\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi1.2,2.6\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi1.0,5.8\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi2.2,and9.3\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi5.6{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{fs}}^{*}=2.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.9, 3.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.2, 2.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.0, 5.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.2, \mathrm{and} 9.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5.6\ensuremathσfs∗​=2.4\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi0.9,3.1\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi1.2,2.6\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi1.0,5.8\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi2.2,and9.3\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi5.6 in units of 10\ensuremath−14{10}^{\ensuremath{-}14}10\ensuremath−14 cm2{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}cm2, where AAA denotes in sequence any one of the noble gas atoms He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe, respectively. Transfer cross sections for the transfer of excited Rb62D6^{2}D62D-state atoms out of the doublet were also determined and are about an order of magnitude smaller than the fine-structure-mixing cross sections.
The following cross sections for $6^{2}D_{\frac{3}{2}}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}6^{2}D_{\frac{5}{2}}$ fine-structure mixing in Rb, induced in collisions with ground-state Rb and noble-gas atoms and with N2{\mathrm{N}}_{2}N2​ molecules, have been measured using previously described methods of atomic fluorescence spectroscopy: $Q(6^{2}D_{\frac{3}{2}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}6^{2}D_{\frac{5}{2}})=17.3, 6.6, 6.1, 5.3, 8.5, \mathrm{and} 6.4$; $Q(6^{2}D_{\frac{3}{2}}\ensuremath{\leftarrow}6^{2}D_{\frac{5}{2}})=11.6, 4.5, 4.1, 3.6, 5.5, \mathrm{and} 4.1$, for Rb, He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and N2{\mathrm{N}}_{2}N2​, respectively, in units of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}14}$ cm2{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}cm2. Upper bounds of cross sections for the effective depopulation of the 62D6^{2}D62D states were also determined.
Inelastic-collision processes in fine-structure-changing collisions have been studied by selective stepwise excitation and observation of the resulting fluorescence. Hereby, the effect of ground-state rubidium atoms colliding with excited-state rubidium atoms was investigated. The ground-state density was changed by three orders of magnitude by performing the measurements over the temperature range of 75 to 200 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. The cross section for fine-structure-changing collisions [i.e., $\mathrm{Rb}({6}^{2}{D}_{\frac{5}{2}})+\mathrm{Rb}({5}^{2}{S}_{\frac{1}{2}})\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{Rb}({6}^{2}{D}_{\frac{3}{2}})+\mathrm{Rb}({5}^{2}{S}_{\frac{1}{2}})$] is ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{fs}}=(1.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.6)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ cm2{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}cm2. The cross sections for transfer out of the fine-structure doublet [i.e., $\mathrm{Rb}({6}^{2}D)+\mathrm{Rb}({5}^{2}{S}_{\frac{1}{2}})\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{states}\mathrm{other}\mathrm{than}\mathrm{Rb}({6}^{2}D)$] is ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{tr}}=(3.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.6)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ cm2{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}cm2. It is demonstrated that for the intermediate excited rubidium states, both the fine-structure-changing and transfer cross sections are of the order of the geometrical cross section of the excited rubidium states.
The cross sections for excitation transfer between the 62P fine-structure substates in rubidium, induced in collisions with noble gas atoms, have been determined in a series of sensitized fluorescence experiments. Mixtures of rubidium vapor and noble gases at pressures varying in the range 0–5 Torr were irradiated with each component of the second 2P rubidium doublet in turn and the following cross sections for 2P mixing were obtained from measurements of sensitised-to-resonance fluorescent intensity ratios. Rb–He: Q12(2P1/2 → 2P3/2) = 29.3 Å2; Q21(2P1/2 ← 2P3/2) = 19.0 Å2. Rb–Ne: Q12 = 10.3 Å2; Q21 = 6.4 Å2. Rb–Ar: Q12 = 24.0 Å2; Q21 = 14.9 Å2. Rb–Kr: Q12 = 23.2 Å2; Q21 = 14.6 Å2. Rb–Xe: Q12 = 43.9 Å2; Q21 = 27.7 Å2 In their dependence on the magnitude of the fine-structure splitting, the values are consistent with previously determined cross sections for mixing in the first and third 2P doublets of alkali atoms.
The 8 2S^{2}S2S state of rubidium is selectively populated by stepwise excitation using light from a rubidium lamp and a tunable dye laser. Excitation transfer from the 8 2S^{2}S2S to the 6 2D^{2}D2D state is studied in a glass cell containing rubidium vapor and noble-gas atoms at different pressures and ground-state rubidium atoms as perturbers. The thermally averaged cross sections for excitation transfer (in units of ${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}15}$ cm2{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}cm2) are 0.13\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05, 3.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.2, 2.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.9, 1.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.7, and 4.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.6 for the noble gases He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe, respectively, and (6.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3.0)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}13}$ cm2{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}cm2 for rubidium atoms. The results show that the excitation-transfer cross sections for intermediately excited states cannot be accurately scaled from simple models.
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The following cross sections for 92{9}^{2}92D3/2{D}_{3/2}D3/2​\ensuremath{\leftrightarrows}92{9}^{2}92D5/2{D}_{5/2}D5/2​ fine-structure mixing in Rb, induced in collisions with ground-state Rb and noble-gas atoms, have been measured using methods of atomic fluorescence spectroscopy: Q(92{(9}^{2}(92D3/2{D}_{3/2}D3/2​\ensuremath{\rightarrow}92{9}^{2}92D5/2{D}_{5/2}D5/2​) =93, 9, 6, 26, and 42; Q(92{(9}^{2}(92D3/2{D}_{3/2}D3/2​\ensuremath{\leftarrow}92{9}^{2}92D5/2{D}_{5/2}D5/2​) =62, 6, 3, 17, and 23, for Rb, He, Ne, Ar, and Kr, respectively, in units of ${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}14}$ cm2{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}cm2. The measured cross sections are in good agreement with recent theoretical calculations of Sirko and Rosi\ifmmode \acute{n}\else \'{n}\fi{}ski.