Optical electron polarimetry with heavy noble gases

Authors

Timothy J. Gay, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
J. E. Furst, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, Missouri
K. W. Trantham, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, Missouri
W. M. K. P. Wijayaratna, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, Missouri

Date of this Version

March 1996

Comments

Published in Phys. Rev. A 53, 1623 - 1629 (1996) [Issue 3 – March 1996]. ©1996 The American Physical Society. Used by permission.

Abstract

We have measured the polarization of fluorescence emitted by the noble gases He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe following impact excitation by polarized electrons. In He, the 3³P→2³S transition was studied; in the heavy noble gases the np⁵ (n+1) p ³D³→np⁵ (n+1) s³P² transitions were analyzed. We investigated these transitions as candidates for efficient optical electron polarimetry and found that, because of their larger excitation cross sections and analyzing power, the heavy noble gases are superior to He, which had been used previously as a polarimetric target. Several issues with regard to the implementation and accuracy of optical electron polarimetric techniques are discussed.