Collisions of excited alkali atoms with O2. I. Intermultiplet transfer

Abstract

The cross sections for the Rb(7S→5D), Rb(5D→7S), and Na(4D→5S) collisional transfers induced by O2 have been measured in absolute values as a function of the collision energy using a crossed beam apparatus. The experimental data have been compared with the predictions given by a multiple curve-crossing model where the symmetries of the states formed by the colliding alkali-metal atom–O2 system as well as the molecular orientation are considered. Good agreement is observed between experimental and calculated cross sections. This tends to show that in spite of its approximations, a multiple curve-crossing model would be useful to obtain fairly accurate informations about collisional processes involving alkali atoms with as much as 4 eV electronic excitation.