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Journal of Physics B Atomic and Molecular Physics

A crossed-beam time-of-flight study of metastable helium in collisions with helium, neon and argon

K B Fiering, S. R. Ryan, William H. Wing

Published Nov 14, 1982• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Absolute velocity-resolved total integral cross sections have been measured for collisions of helium singlet (2 1 S 0 ) and triplet (2 3 S 1 2) metastable (He*) atoms with ground-state helium, neon, and argon atoms in the thermal velocity range of 1.0-3.5*10 5 cm s -1 . Additional measurements on the He*-Ne system with a large input aperture at the detector to suppress the sensitivity of the apparatus to elastic scattering failed to show the previously predicted (Arathoon) sharply rising velocity structure in the inelastic excitation transfer cross sections.

DOI
10.1088/0022-3700/15/21/009

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Absolute velocity-resolved total integral cross sections have been measured for collisions of helium singlet (2 1 S 0 ) and triplet (2 3 S 1 2) metastable (He*) atoms with ground-state helium, neon, and argon atoms in the thermal velocity range of 1.0-3.510 5 cm s -1 . Additional measurements on the He-Ne system with a large input aperture at the detector to suppress the sensitivity of the apparatus to elastic scattering failed to show the previously predicted (Arathoon) sharply rising velocity structure in the inelastic excitation transfer cross sections.
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We present progress towards measurements of total absolute collision cross sections of the 3P2 metastable state and the 3D3 excited state of neon with ground state noble gases utilizing a metastable neon magneto optical trap. The measurement is achieved by observing the decay rate of the trap as a function of added partial pressure of a noble gas. This technique will enable benchmark cross sections to be measured there by providing stringent tests of current quantum mechanical scattering calculations.