Electron-impact excitation of the Rb 7 (2)S1/2, 8 (2)S1/2, 5 (2)D3/2, and 6 (2)D3/2 states.

Abstract

Electron-impact cross sections for excitation of the 7 $^{2}$${\mathit{S}}_{1/2}$, 8 $^{2}$${\mathit{S}}_{1/2}$, 5 $^{2}$${\mathit{D}}_{3/2}$, and 6 $^{2}$${\mathit{D}}_{3/2}$ states of rubidium have been measured from threshold to 1000 eV. The optical-excitation-function method has been employed in a crossed atom- and electron-beam apparatus. Relative, total (cascade including) experimental cross sections are made absolute by comparison with the known total cross section of the Rb D1 line. Total excitation cross sections are compared with theoretical calculations employing first Born approximation and theoretical branching ratios. Born cross sections for the 7 $^{2}$${\mathit{S}}_{1/2}$ and 8 $^{2}$${\mathit{S}}_{1/2}$ states are obtained from the literature, while Born cross sections for the 5 $^{2}$${\mathit{D}}_{3/2}$, 6 $^{2}$${\mathit{D}}_{3/2}$, and all cascading states are calculated in this paper. At high energies, the measured total $^{2}$${\mathit{D}}_{3/2}$ state cross sections show 1/E behavior and converge to first Born theory; for Eg100 eV, experiment and theory agree within 6.7% for 5 $^{2}$${\mathit{D}}_{3/2}$ and within 3.7% for 6 $^{2}$${\mathit{D}}_{3/2}$. The total cross sections for the $^{2}$${\mathit{S}}_{1/2}$ states do not converge to Born theory even at 1000 eV, and it is shown that this cannot be attributed to cascading. At low energies, $^{2}$${\mathit{S}}_{1/2}$ and $^{2}$${\mathit{D}}_{3/2}$ state total excitation cross sections have similar shapes with sharply peaked maxima at about 0.9 eV above threshold. After cascading is corrected using first Born theory, estimated experimental cross sections for direct excitation of higher fine-structure states of rubidium are given.