Anisotropy-dependent circular polarization spectroscopy

Abstract

Experimental and theoretical study of atomic collisions with neutral atoms, molecules, and ions is a key to understand the energy and charge transfer processes, depolarization cross sections, dynamical evolution of the state multipoles, and the accurate description of the intermediate levels of the collision complex 1‐5. Although the study of collision dynamics is not new, significant advances in techniques for laser cooling and trapping of atoms, molecules and ions has enormously increased the interest in this area of research 6,7. For example, collisions involving cold Rydberg atoms 8‐10 has been a great interest in many fields of research due to the interesting properties of these atoms in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. Also, high-resolution photoassociation spectroscopy of ultracold molecules 11‐16 has become an important subject to accurately determine the potential curves of these molecules in atomic and molecular physics. The measurement of collisional depolarization cross section between an alkali metal and rare gas atom provides valuable information about the interaction between the two species such as relaxation rates of the electronic moments. Experimental investigations of collisional depolarization in 6p 2 P 3/2 level cesium atoms, up to now, were carried out using incoherent light sources as optical excitation 17,18. Guiry et al. 17 has experimentally studied the disorienta