Relaxation des niveaux de structure hyperfine d'atomes d'hydrogène dans l'état fondamental

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Abstract
We describe a population modulation method which allows precise measurement of longitudinal and transversal relaxation times of atomic hydrogen in a hydrogen maser. The escape rate of atoms from the bulb can also be measured. From these results, we deduce the relaxation rate of the hydrogen atoms due to wall collisions. We analyse in detail the effects of magnetic relaxation and establish an experimental test which allows us to determine whether or not the magnetic coupling between the Zeeman states is sufficient to impair the validity of the measurements. In the case of our maser, we further show that the hydrogen density dependent wall relaxation is negligible at 295 K and that the correlation time for the magnetic interaction of the hydrogen atoms on the teflon wall is shorter than 10-11 s.