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Physical Review A

Nuclear-Spin Inertia and Pressure Broadening of P122 Hanle-Effect Signals

Basim R. Bulos, W. Happer

Published Sep 1, 1971• 54 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Hanle-effect measurements yield values for the collisional depolarization rates of $^{2}P_{\frac{1}{2}}$ excited atomic states that are about three times too small unless one explicitly includes the effects of nuclear spin. The broadening also becomes a nonlinear function of foreign-gas pressure. We present experimental evidence for nuclear-spin effects on pressure-broadened Hanle-effect signals of ${\mathrm{Rb}}^{85}$ and ${\mathrm{Rb}}^{87}$ in helium.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.4.849

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