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Journal of Physics B Atomic and Molecular Physics

Inelastic collisions between high Rydberg (n≈40) and ground-state rubidium atoms at thermal energies

M Hugon, F. Gounand, P. R. Fournier, J. Berlande

Published Jul 28, 1983• 15 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The authors have measured the cross sections for the collisional quenching of highly excited (34<or=n<or=43) S rubidium atoms by ground-state rubidium atoms. The comparison between their data and the values calculated using a theoretical approach that only takes into account the valence electron-ground-state rubidium interaction provides the first experimental estimation of the cross section for the elastic scattering of ultra-low-energy electrons (E approximately=0.01 eV) by rubidium atoms. Their results for the quenching are connected to the available measurements of the self-broadening of the rubidium (5S-nS) lines by using a recent theoretical model: for n approximately 40 the self-broadcasting is essentially due to inelastic collisions. An upper limit is given for the cross section for the isotopic transfer between 85 Rb(nS) and 87 Rb(nS) states due to collisions with ground-state rubidium atoms.

DOI
10.1088/0022-3700/16/14/014

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Physical Review A•Sep 1, 1985•5 citations
The authors have measured the cross sections for the collisional quenching of highly excited (34<or=n<or=43) S rubidium atoms by ground-state rubidium atoms. The comparison between their data and the values calculated using a theoretical approach that only takes into account the valence electron-ground-state rubidium interaction provides the first experimental estimation of the cross section for the elastic scattering of ultra-low-energy electrons (E approximately=0.01 eV) by rubidium atoms. Their results for the quenching are connected to the available measurements of the self-broadening of the rubidium (5S-nS) lines by using a recent theoretical model: for n approximately 40 the self-broadcasting is essentially due to inelastic collisions. An upper limit is given for the cross section for the isotopic transfer between 85 Rb(nS) and 87 Rb(nS) states due to collisions with ground-state rubidium atoms.
The cross sections for quasi-elastic and inelastic collisional processes between rubidium in non-hydrogenic Rydberg nS and nD states and helium have been measured. The quenching cross section of the Rydberg levels seems to behave similarly for different series, it first increases with n and then reaches a maximum, which is more or less shifted towards low n values, depending on the proximity of the highly degenerate hydrogenic neighbouring levels. The authors' experimental results and those previously obtained are in fair agreement (within a factor of 3 in the worst cases) with the values computed using a simple theoretical approach only taking into account the Rydberg electron-helium interaction.
The impulse approximation for the Rydberg atom-atom collisions is analyzed on the basis of the Faddeev equations. A modified expression is derived for the cross sections, including the interference between the Rydberg-electron--perturber scattering and the ion-core--perturber scattering. This expression is used for the calculations of the collisional quenching and elastic scattering in Rb(nS)-Rb and Rb(nP)-Rb collisions. We use the electron-Rb scattering phase shifts obtained from ab initio close-coupling calculations and their extrapolation, applying the modified effective-range theory. Our results show that the impulse approximation agrees with the experimental data for the quenching cross sections at n>20 but underestimates the quenching cross sections at lower n. The position of the maximum of the cross section is in good agreement with experimental data. We also obtain reasonable results for the elastic cross section at n>20, but for the lower n the results are too large. The interference effect plays a minor role in the process, which means that simultaneous electron-perturber and ion-perturber interaction is unlikely.
The cross sections for the quenching of highly excited Rb(nS) (32<or=n<or=45) and Rb(nD) (30<or=n<or=41) states have been measured for the different rare gases. In most cases studied, the quenching cross sections seem rather constant or slightly decreasing with n for a given series and a given rare gas. The experimental data are compared with the results of calculations using various theoretical approaches. It is shown that in this range of large n values the main process responsible for the quenching is the Rydberg-electron-rare-gas interaction, as previously stated for lower n values (10<or=n<or=20).
We have measured total cross sections for the collisional depopulation of high-lying nP\mathrm{nP}nP states ($12\ensuremath{\le}n\ensuremath{\le}22$) of rubidium induced by thermal collisions with ground-state rubidium or rare-gas atoms. It is observed that for $n\ensuremath{\ge}14$ the rubidium-rare-gas cross sections do not vary with the principal quantum number, contrary to previous hypotheses. Our results are discussed using the simple argument of quasifree behavior of the valence electron involving either an elastic-scattering or a binary-encounter approach. However, the disagreement observed between the experimental and the computed cross sections suggests that a three-body approach is generally needed for a good understanding of collisional processes involving highly excited states.
The absolute cross section for the energy transfer between the nP Rydberg atom (n=35--60) and the ground-state (5S) atom of rubidium is measured to be 4.8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}102{10}^{2}102 A˚2{\r{}}^{2}˚2 for thermal collisions at 420 K. This value of the cross section is in agreement with the calculated value for resonant charge transfer at the relevant collision energy. It is concluded that the energy transfer process is essentially charge transfer between the Rydberg ion core and the ground-state atom, where the Rydberg electron stays as a spectator.