MetastableP23Rare-Gas Polarizabilities

The atomic beam $E-H$ gradient balance method has been used to measure the $\mathrm{zz}$ components ${\alpha }_{\mathrm{zz}}\left(M_J\right)$ of the diagonalized polarizability tensors in metastable ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}P_2^{}{}_{}{}^{}$ neon, krypton, and xenon, in their $M_J=+1\mathrm{} \mathrm{and} +2\mathrm{}$ magnetic substates. These data are sufficient to determine the polarizability tensors in all the substates, as well as the spherically averaged polarizabilities $\overline{\alpha }$. The gross structure of each of the metastable rare gases is similar to that of the ground state of the corresponding alkali, and it is found that the average polarizabilities are comparable. The polarizability tensor components and $\overline{\alpha }\text{'}\mathrm{s}$ are listed in the table below (the values for argon are taken from the earlier measurements of Pollack et al.), together with theoretical values computed using a modification of Sternheimer's method (theory A) and from estimates made of oscillator strengths using the Coulomb approximation of Bates and Damgaard (theory B).