Orbital alignment effect in a supersonic jet: spin-changing collisions in the Ca(4s5p 1P1)+Ar system

✍ Scribed by Yih-Shing Duh; King-Chuen Lin; Wei-Tzou Luh

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 641 KB
• Volume: 195
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2614
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2614(92)85566-s

✦ Synopsis

We have studied orbital alignment effects in a single supersonic jet. The Ar gas behind the nozzle is used as both the collision partner and the carrier gas for free jet expansion. The Ca 4s5p tP l state is prepared by a linearly polarized laser. By varying the angle of the laser polarization with respect to the relative velocity vector of the Ca and Ar collision, either the asymptotic E or H molecular state related to the Ca-Ar collision can be prepared and followed. The measurement of polarization upon the Ca(4s5p ~Pl--,4sSp 3p j) spin-changing collision by Ar gives a value of 19%+ 1.5% at a background pressure of about 55 mTorr. The result is in excellent agreement with the crossed-beam value 21% + 7% of Leone and co-workers.