Measurement of Asymmetric Optical Pumping of Ions Accelerating in a Magnetic-field Gradient.

Sun, X. ; Scime, W. ; Miah, M. ; Cohen, S. ; Skiff, F.

Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee

关键词: Asymmetry;    Argon ions;    Magnetic fields;    Plasma;    Optical pumping;   

RP-ID  :  DE2005836151

学科分类：工程和技术（综合）

美国|英语

来源: National Technical Reports Library

【 摘 要 】

We report observations of asymmetric optical pumping of argon ions accelerating in a magnetic field gradient. The signature is a difference in the laser-induced-fluorescence (LIF) emission amplitude from a pair of Zeeman-split states. A model that reproduces the dependence of the asymmetry on magnetic-field and ion-velocity gradients is described. With the model, the fluorescence intensity ratio provides a new method of measuring ion collisionality. This phenomenon has implications for interpreting stellar plasma spectroscopy data which often exhibit unequal Zeeman state intensities.