mJMixing in Oriented6P122Cesium Atoms, Induced in Collisions with Noble Gases

The cross sections for disorientation of magnetically oriented $6{}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}P_{\frac{1}{2}}^{}{}_{}{}^{}$ cesium atoms, induced in collisions with noble gases, have been determined using Zeeman-scanning techniques at kilogauss magnetic fields. The $m_J=-\frac{1}{2}$, $m_I=-\frac{7}{2}$ hyperfine Zeeman substate was populated selectively by irradiating the cesium-vapor-noble-gas mixture with cesium-resonance radiation, and collisional transitions to the $m_J=+\frac{1}{2}$, $m_I=-\frac{7}{2}$ substate were monitored by measurements of the relative intensities of the ${\sigma }^{-}$ and ${\sigma }^{+}$ components in resonance fluorescence observed in the direction parallel to the magnetic field. The following cross sections were obtained: Cs-He, 11.8 ${\mathrm{\AA }}^2$; Cs-Ne, 4.7 ${\mathrm{\AA }}^2$; Cs-Ar, 10.7 ${\mathrm{\AA }}^2$; Cs-Kr, 37.9 ${\mathrm{\AA }}^2$; Cs-Xe, 71.7 ${\mathrm{\AA }}^2$.