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Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Light polarization of mercury 6s6p1P1and 6s6p3P1resonant transitions excited by electron impact

C Herting, G F Hanne

Published Jan 29, 2002• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

For the mercury 6s6p 1 P 1 and 6s6p 3 P 1 states excited by electron impact, the linear polarization of the light emitted in the transition to the ground state has been measured from threshold to intermediate energy for the decay photons of 254 and 185 nm wavelength, respectively. The results for both lines are in surprisingly good agreement with a calculation based on the Born-Ochkur approximation, neglecting spin-orbit terms for the continuum electron but allowing for electron exchange effects and intermediate coupling.

DOI
10.1088/0953-4075/35/3/105

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For the mercury 6s6p 1 P 1 and 6s6p 3 P 1 states excited by electron impact, the linear polarization of the light emitted in the transition to the ground state has been measured from threshold to intermediate energy for the decay photons of 254 and 185 nm wavelength, respectively. The results for both lines are in surprisingly good agreement with a calculation based on the Born-Ochkur approximation, neglecting spin-orbit terms for the continuum electron but allowing for electron exchange effects and intermediate coupling.
The polarisation of 2154 nm photons emitted from Hg atoms which are excited by electrons scattered in the forward direction has been measured for collision energies between 5.5 and 15 eV. From the results the relative contribution of exchange excitation could be determined. Exchange is found to be the dominant excitation mechanism from threshold up to 8 eV collision energy. The results are also expressed by the alignment parameter lambda and good agreement is found with a previous measurement using incident polarised electrons. The results are explained in terms of intermediate coupling.
Electron-photon coincidences with initially polarized electrons have been measured for the first time. Results for linear and circular polarization components of the 254-nm line (Hg $6^{3}P_{1}\ensuremath{-}6^{1}S_{0}$ transition) are presented as a function of electron energy for electrons which are scattered inelastically (63P16^{3}P_{1}63P1​ excitation) in the forward direction. The analysis of these polarization components allows one to determine the role of spin-dependent interactions during collision as well as to determine the relative phase of the two scattering amplitudes involved.
The theory of the polarisation of the 6 3 P 1 from 6 1 S 0 line of Hg after excitation by forward scattered electrons is reviewed. Certain problems encountered in previous studies are pointed out and it is shown that the Ochkur approximation fails to give adequate agreement with the experiment. It is also pointed out that in the case where hyperfine splitting is not resolved experimentally that a different means of averaging over the nuclear hyperfine contribution must be employed. A discussion is presented on why an Ochkur-type approximation might improve on the Born approximation near an excitation threshold.
Abstract In a number of recent papers descriptions have been given of how the light from atoms excited by a directed stream of electrons is polarised, in the absence of any external field of force. In particular we may refer to the paper by one of the present writers (Paper I), where some of the characteristics of the effect in mercury were discussed. It was found that the different lines of the spectrum were differently polarised, both in magnitude and direction. The behaviour of the polarisation when a magnetic field is applied to the mercury atoms was found to be identical with the effect produced by a similar field on the polarisa­tion when the light is excited by the absorption of plane polarised light, the electric vector of which is parallel to the direction of the stream of electrons. In this way, the polarisation of the light excited by electron impact was shown to be closely related to the polarisation of resonance radiation, which had been investigated by Wood and Ellett and others. In the paper referred to, the measurement of the polarisation of the spectral lines was, except in an individual instance, only qualitative. Since its appearance two papers have appeared in which polarisation measurements of the mercury lines excited by electron impact have appeared. Eldridge and Olsen gave qualitative results, and these confirmed those which we had given. Quarder gives quantitative measure­ments which are also for the most part in general accord. The aim of the present paper is to describe quantitative results, and, as will be seen, these are not in all cases in detailed agreement with those given by Quarder. The second aim is to determine the variation of the polarisation with the velocity of the electron stream, a point which has not been previously attempted. In Paper I it was shown that the magnitude of the polarisation is intimately connected with the dynamics of the collision process. By the electron impact, the atom is raised from its normal state into an upper quantum state, and by its return into the normal state, or into another state, light is emitted. The magnitude of the polarisation depends on both of these processes, but the second process, the actual emission of the light, is well understood. Polarisation measurements therefore give a powerful means of investigating the collision of an electron with an atom in the case when excitation of the atom takes place, and it is in this that their main interest lies.
For neon 3p states excited by transversely polarized electrons, the integrated Stokes parameters, and , have been measured from threshold to 300 eV for the decay photons of 692.9, 667.8 and 717.4 nm wavelengths from the and states, respectively. The and parameters for the 692.9 and 667.8 nm transitions indicate similar excitation mechanisms consistent with their similar ` L S component states'. The non-zero indicates the breakdown of L S -coupling and the large values near threshold suggest a significant exchange process. For the 717.4 nm transition, the three Stokes parameters are much smaller than those of the other two lines. The low is surprising since the large (75.4%) -coupled component state was expected to cause large exchange effects.