Alkali Polarizabilities by the Atomic Beam Electrostatic Deflection Method

Abstract

The electric dipole polarizabilities of the alkali atoms have been measured by observing the deflection of a collimated beam of neutral atoms in a two-wire-type inhomogeneous electric field. Beam deflection measurements are taken both for the case when ${s}_{B}$, the deflection of atoms with the most probable velocity in the source, is larger than the detector wire width ${w}_{d}$, and for ${s}_{B}l0.1{w}_{d}$. The results in units of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}24}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$ are: $\ensuremath{\alpha}(\mathrm{Li})=22\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2$, $\ensuremath{\alpha}(\mathrm{Na})=21.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2$, $\ensuremath{\alpha}(K)=38\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}4$, $\ensuremath{\alpha}(\mathrm{Rb})=38\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}4$, and $\ensuremath{\alpha}(\mathrm{Cs})=48\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}6$. These values are in reasonable agreement with other recent experimental and theoretical determinations of the alkali polarizabilities.