Alignment of helium excited by thin carbon foils

Authors

R. D. Hight, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio
R. M. Schectman, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio
H. G. Berry, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
G. Gabrielse, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Timothy J. Gay, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

November 1977

Comments

Published in Phys. Rev. A 16, 1805 - 1810 (1977) [Issue 5 – November 1977]. ©1977 The American Physical Society. Used by permission.

Abstract

We have measured the linear polarization of the 5016-Å, 2s ¹S-3p ¹P transition of Hei excited by a thin carbon foil perpendicular to the incident He⁺ beam at ion energies 50-500 keV. We find that the alignment of the 3p ¹P term depends upon the beam current density within the range (2- 150 μA cm^-2) measured. Oscillations in the dependence of both M / I (the linear polarization fraction) upon energy and the current density variation of M / I with energy are observed. We discuss possible origins of these variations.