Excited-State Mixing in the Optical Pumping of Alkali-Metal Vapors

Frank A. Franz and Judy R. Franz
Phys. Rev. 148, 82 – Published 5 August 1966
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Abstract

The effect of excited-state mixing on the optical pumping of alkali-metal vapors is considered for the case where the energy separation between the P122 and P322 first excited states is relatively large, allowing the isolation of mixing effects within a particular J level. Two models for the mixing process are proposed, one a random reorientation of the total electronic angular momentum J, and the other a reorientation of J subject to the selection rule ΔmJ=0, ±2. The probabilities for mixing transitions among J-state sublevels have been calculated for an alkali atom of nuclear spin 32, and can be used to calculate the optical-pumping transition probabilities for a vapor subject to any degree of excited-state mixing. Several possible experiments suggested by these calculations are discussed.

  • Received 21 March 1966

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.148.82

©1966 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Frank A. Franz*

  • Physics Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland

Judy R. Franz

  • IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, 8803 Rüschlikon-ZH, Switzerland

  • *National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow.

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Issue

Vol. 148, Iss. 1 — August 1966

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