Abstract In this study, we investigate the effect of buffer gas and magnetic field on the spectral line shapes of the potassium D1 transition using sealed vapour cells filled with varying amounts of neon as a buffer gas. Employing a dual-temperature control system, we independently manipulate the cell body and stem temperatures to explore Doppler and collisional effects on the spectrum. Our results show how the Voigt spectral profile changes from Gaussian- to Lorentzian-dominated forms due to pressure broadening and shifts caused by collisions between potassium atoms and neon. Our measurements are in excellent agreement with the literature values for potassium-neon collisions. For the first time we were able to incorporate the buffer-gas shift and broadening into the modified Voigt profile via the ElecSus code, and found excellent agreement between the predicted and measured line profiles. We also analyse the potassium D1 spectral lines in the hyperfine Paschen–Back regime using strong magnetic fields, demonstrating how Zeeman splitting modifies the pressure-broadened line shape. This work provides valuable insights into collision-induced broadening and shifts, enhancing our understanding of potassium spectroscopy and its application in the development of advanced magneto-optical filters for solar physics and other applications.
Transitions between hyperfine structure states of antiprotonic
4He at collisions with medium atoms: interaction \emph{ab initio}
Collisions of metastable antiprotonic helium atoms with atoms of the medium induce, among other processes, transitions between hyperfine structure (HFS) states, as well as shifts and broadening of microwave M1 spectral lines. In order to obtain matrix potential of interaction between
(pˉHe+) and
He, we have calculated the potential energy surface (PES) in the framework of unrestricted Hartree-Fock method taking into account electron correlations in the second-order perturbation theory (MP2). With this potential, the system of close-coupling equations for HFS channels is solved numerically. Cross sections and transition rates, shifts and broadening of M1 spectral lines are calculated. They are used to obtain a numerical solution of the master equation that determines the time evolution of the HFS-states density matrix. The results are compared with the experimental data and with the results of model calculation.