Time-resolved fluorescence decay and collisional transition rates of Cs-Xe molecules

Abstract

The kinetics of formation and decay of Cs-Xe molecules in their $\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ and $\ensuremath{\Pi}$ bound states produced in Cs-Xe mixtures irradiated with a short-pulse dye laser tuned around the $7P\ensuremath{-}6S \mathrm{Cs}$ resonance transition has been investigated by fluorescence decay measurements. The time-resolved spectra of the 4600- and 5720-\AA{} molecular fluorescent bands were studied in relation to xenon density, which ranged from 0.9 to 6.9 amagats. Quantitative collisional cross sections are derived from the measured transition rates with peak values around ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}17}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$.