Hyperfine Effects on the Polarization of Lyman-αQuench Radiation

Abstract
The polarization fraction of radiation from atomic hydrogen prepared in the metastable 2S state and quenched in a small static electric field is calculated in first-order perturbation theory. The calculation includes the electron spin-orbit coupling and the electron-proton spin-coupling interactions. Including the hyperfine effects brings the predicted polarization closer to the observed, but the theoretical results still are slightly outside the experimental error limits.

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