Induced atomic orientation, an efficient mechanism for magnetic circular polarization

Abstract

The alignment-orientation process is exactly treated for an alkali-like atom with purely electronic couplings. Analytic expressions for the circular polarization of the optical emission are given for specific types of anisotropic excitation in terms of the magnetic field and the spin-orbit parameter. No advanced formalism is used. It is shown how the hyperfine interaction with the electron orbital motion operates in a manner very similar to the purely electronic spin-orbit coupling, again leading to orbital orientation and to circularly polarized optical emission. Detailed computed results for alignment-orientation conversion for neutral helium are summarized, as are the results of experiments which directly exhibit circularly polarized emission due to the alignment-orientation effect in gases.