A stimulated photon echo technique with specially selected linear polarizations of the coherent resonant driver pulses is used to study depolarizing collisions in the molecular gas SF 6 and in mixtures of it with buffer He and Xe. The collisional decay rates of the population, orientation, and alignment in an ensemble of gas particles are determined for the first time in a single experiment. These relaxation rates are measured as a function of the longitudinal translational velocities of the resonant particles. To within the experimental accuracy, no significant dependence of the collisional decay rates on the translational velocities of the particles was observed. This result confirms the conventional theoretical approach to depolarizing collisions. In pure SF 6 the decay rates for the orientation and alignment were lower than the relaxation constant for collisions involving a change in the longitudinal velocity (elastic collisions) that is known from experimental observations of the ordinary photon echo. This means that only some of the elastic collisions participate in destroying the multipole moments of the levels. Evidence is found that the relaxation of the multipole moments created by polarized radiation in a resonant medium of molecular SF 6 gas depends on j , the total angular momentum of the level.

Journal of Experimental and Theoretical PhysicsMar 1, 19984 citations

Collisional decay rates of population, orientation, and alignment studied by stimulated photon echo technique in molecular gas SF 6

L. S. Vasilenko, Н. Н. Рубцова, Хворостов Евгений Борисович

The method of a stimulated photon echo with specially selected linear polarizations of pumping pulses of a coherent resonant radiation is applied to a research of depolarizing collisions in molecular gas SF6 and its mixtures with buffer gases He and Xe. For the first time in one experiment the rates of a collisional decay of three lowest moments of polarization (population, orientation and alignment) are defined in an ensemble of gas particles. These rates of a relaxation are measured as functions on longitudinal velocities of resonant particles. In the frames of an experimental accuracy any noticeable dependence on velocities of particles was not detected both for orientation and alignment neither in pure resonant gas SF6 nor in mixtures. This result confirms the standard theoretical approach to depolarizing collisions. In pure SF6 decay rates of orientation and alignment have proved lesser than relaxation rate constant due to velocity changing (elastic) collisions. It means, that only the part of elastic collisions participates in destruction of multipole polarization moments of resonant levels. In comparison with our previous work the evidence is obtained that the relaxation of multipole moments seems to be j-dependent one in a medium of molecular gas SF6.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIESep 26, 19970 citations