The total cross sections for inelastic collisions between rubidium and inert gas atoms, leading to a transfer of excitation between the 5 2P1/2 and 5 2P3/2 levels in rubidium, have been determined in a study of sensitized fluorescence in rubidium – inert gas mixtures. The experiments were performed at a rubidium vapor pressure of 1.5 × 10−6 mm Hg, at which there is no imprisonment of resonance radiation, and over a range of inert gas pressures extending from 1 to 350 mm Hg. The cross sections Q1(5 2P1/2 → 5 2P3/2) and Q2(5 2P1/2 ← 5 2P3/2) are as follows: Rb–He: 7.6 × 10−18 and 10.3 × 10−18 cm2; Rb–Ne: 1.7 × 10−19 and 2.3 × 10−19 cm2; Rb–A: 1.0 × 10−19 and 1.6 × 10−19 cm2; Rb–Kr: 6.4 × 10−20 and 1.5 × 10−19 cm2; Rb–Xe: 7.9 × 10−20 and 2.1 × 10−19 cm2. The cross sections are subject to two apparent anomalies: they do not vary monotonically with the polarizabilities of the inert gases and not all of their ratios Q1/Q2 have values predicted by the principle of detailed balancing. These properties of the cross sections, as well as a partial disagreement with Franck's rule, are interpreted qualitatively in terms of a "free particle" interaction between the inert gas atoms and the 5 2P orbital electron in rubidium. A competing process involving three-body collisions and the possible formation of Rb – inert gas van der Waals' molecules is also suggested.
Sensitized fluorescence in cesium vapor induced by collisions with excited rubidium atoms was investigated in order to determine the total cross sections for inelastic collisions between excited rubidium atoms and cesium atoms in their ground states. The partial pressure of the rubidium vapor in the Rb–Cs mixture was kept below 2 × 10−5 mm Hg in order to eliminate effects due to the trapping of the Rb resonance radiation. The collision cross sections for the various excitation transfer processes are as follows: Q12′(Rb 5 2P1/2 → Cs 6 2P3/2) = 1.5 Å2; Q11′(Rb 5 2P1/2 → Cs 6 2P1/2) = 0.5 Å2; Q22′(Rb 5 2P3/2 → Cs 6 2P3/2) = 0.9 Å2; Q21′(Rb 5 2P3/2 → Cs 6 2P1/2) = 0.3 Å2. The fact that the cross sections are considerably smaller than those for collisions between similar atoms indicates that the Rb–Cs interactions probably involve van der Waals' forces with a much shorter range than exchange forces, which play a dominant role in Rb–Rb or Cs–Cs collisions.
The total cross sections for excitation transfer between the 6 2P1/2 and 6 2P3/2 levels in cesium, induced by collisions of the second kind between cesium and inert gas atoms, have been determined using methods of sensitized fluorescence. The experiments were carried out at a cesium vapor pressure of 1 × 10−6 mm Hg, at which there is no trapping of resonance radiation, and over a range of inert gas pressures extending from 1 to 300 mm Hg. The cross sections Q1(2P1/2 → P3/2) and Q2(2P1/2 ← 2P3/2) are as follows: Cs–He: 5.7 × 10−21 and 3.9 × 10−20 cm2; Cs–Ne: 1.9 × 10−21 and 3.1 × 10−20 cm2; Cs–A: 1.6 × 10−21 and 5.2 × 10−20 cm2; Cs–Kr: 8.3 × 10−21 and 18.4 × 10−20 cm2; Cs–Xe: 7.2 × 10−21 and 27.4 × 10−20 cm2. A mechanism for the excitation transfer is suggested, which involves an interaction between the inert gas atoms and the 6 2P electron in cesium, behaving as a free particle.
Excitation transfer between the
62P21 and
62P23 resonance states in cesium, induced by Cs-
N2 and Cs-
H2 collisions, was observed in the first experiment of its kind, in which techniques of sensitized fluorescence are used to investigate collisional mixing between resonance states of alkali atoms in mixtures with molecular gases. The cesium-vapor-gas system, in which the cesium vapor pressure was low enough to avoid radiation trapping, was irradiated with a single component of the resonance doublet. The fluorescent light, which contained both components of the doublet, was monitored at right angles to the direction of excitation. Measurements of relative intensities of the fluorescent components yielded the following cross sections for excitation transfer and for quenching of resonance radiation. For Cs-
N2 collisions: ${Q}_{12}(^{2}P_{\frac{1}{2}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{2}P_{\frac{3}{2}})=3.6$
A˚2, ${Q}_{21}(^{2}P_{\frac{1}{2}}\ensuremath{\leftarrow}^{2}P_{\frac{3}{2}})=16.2$
A˚2, ${Q}_{10}(^{2}S_{\frac{1}{2}}\ensuremath{\leftarrow}^{2}P_{\frac{1}{2}})=55.2$
A˚2, ${Q}_{20}(^{2}S_{\frac{1}{2}}\ensuremath{\leftarrow}^{2}P_{\frac{3}{2}})=63.5$
A˚2. For Cs-
H2 collisions:
Q12=6.7 A˚2,
Q21=29.6 A˚2,
Q10=11.7 A˚2,
Q20=6.7 A˚2. The large sizes of the excitation-transfer cross sections, which are comparable to the corresponding Cs-Cs cross sections, are attributed to resonances with transitions in the molecules.
An account of recent work is given by the author and co-workers on the experimental determination of cross sections for excitation transfer between the (2)P((1/2)) and (2)P(3/2)resonance levels in potassium, rubidium and cesium, induced by inelastic collisions with alkali atoms and inert gas atoms in their ground states. Forty values of cross sections were obtained in a series of sensitized fluorescence experiments, in which alkali vapors and vapor-gas mixtures were irradiated with one component of the appropriate alkali resonance doublet, and the relative intensities of both components appearing in the fluorescent light were measured. The experiments indicate that the collisional interaction between an alkali atom in a (2)P state and a ground state inert gas atom probably occurs between the inert gas atom and the (2)P alkali valence electron which behaves like a quasi-free particle.
The temperature dependence of cross sections for 52P1/2 ↔ 52P3/2 excitation transfer in rubidium, induced in collisions with CH4, CH2D2, and CD4 molecules, has been investigated using methods of sensitized fluorescence over a temperature range 300–650 K. The cross sections, which are of the order of 30 Å2 and which exceed similar cross sections for collisions with noble gas atoms by at least two orders of magnitude, exhibit an isotope effect which is ascribed to the phenomenon of electronic-to-rotational energy transfer.