State mixing in collisions involving highly excited barium atoms

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Phys. Rev. A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.38.3271· OSTI ID:6764400

Allegrini, M; Arimondo, E; Menchi, E; Burkhardt, C E; Ciocca, M; Garver, W P; Gozzini, S; Leventhal, J J; Kelley, J D

With the use of two-step laser excitation, it is shown that the state distributions of highly excited barium atoms are substantially altered by inelastic collisions with barium atoms. For ''pure'' Rydberg states the initially produced ns or nd eigenstates are rapidly mixed with nearly degenerate n'l' states. For initially produced states that may be viewed as admixtures of Rydberg and doubly excited independent-electron eigenstates, collisions convert the distribution to one with nearly pure, albeit state-mixed, Rydberg character. Broadening of the absorption profiles of the highly excited states is also observed. This effect results from quasistatic interaction between two highly excited atoms during the excitation. Beyond a critical excited-atom density, avalanche effects lead to an apparent narrowing of these profiles which subsequently broaden at still higher atom density.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics, University of Missouri-Saint Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, Saint Louis, Missouri 63121
• OSTI ID: 6764400
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. A; (United States), Vol. 38:7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
BARIUM
ATOM-ATOM COLLISIONS
CONFIGURATION MIXING
RYDBERG STATES
ABSORPTION
ATOMS
EXCITATION
LASERS
LINE BROADENING
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ATOM COLLISIONS
COLLISIONS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EXCITED STATES
INTERACTIONS
METALS
640304* - Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics- Collision Phenomena