Collisions of Electrons with Metastable Atoms of Rare Gases

这个项目的重点是电子激发出亚稳态的氙原子。研究人员将测量从氙亚稳态能级到更高能级的电子碰撞激发截面。实验工作由两部分组成。第一部分是构建亚稳态原子束靶。从普通空心阴极放电中提取的原子束中含有亚稳原子，但实验所需的亚稳原子密度不足以达到这一目的。因此，通过激光泵浦，处于第二亚稳态的部分原子将被转移到所需的能级。在实验的第二部分，电子束将穿过亚稳态原子，激发它们到更高的能级，来自这些更高能级的荧光将被用来确定激发截面。该项目的更广泛影响涉及学生教育以及多样化方面的努力。

This project focuses on electron excitation out of metastable levels of xenon atoms. The investigators will measure electron-impact excitation cross sections out of the metastable levels of xenon into the higher levels. The experimental efforts consist of two parts. The first part is to construct a metastable-atom-beam target. An atomic beam extracted from an ordinary hollow cathode discharge contains metastable atoms, but the density of metastable atoms needed for the experiment is insufficient for the purpose. Therefore part of the atoms in a second metastable level will be transferred into the desired level by laser pumping. In the second part of the experiment an electron beam will be passed through the metastable atoms exciting them to higher levels, and the fluorescence from these higher levels will be utilized to determine the excitation cross sections. The broader impact of the program involves student education as well as efforts in diversity.