Crystal field splitting on D↔S transitions of atomic manganese isolated in solid krypton

Abstract

Narrow excitation features present on the [Ar]3d64s1aD(J=9∕2−1∕2)6←[Ar]3d54s2aS1∕26 transitions of manganese atoms isolated in solid Kr are analyzed within the framework of weak crystal field splitting. Use of the Wp optical lineshape function allowed identification of multiple zero-phonon lines for individual spin-orbit J states of the a aD6←aS6 transition recorded with laser-induced excitation spectroscopy. Excellent agreement exists between the predicted crystal field splitting patterns for the J levels of the aD6 state isolated in the «red» tetravacancy site of solid Kr. The tetrahedral crystal field of the «red» trapping site splits J>3∕2 levels of the aDJ6 and aD7∕24 states by approximately 30cm−1. This report represents the first definitive evidence of crystal field splitting, induced by the weak van der Waals interactions between a neutral metal atom and the rare gas atoms surrounding it in a well-defined solid-state site.