Relaxation of the mercury 6 3P and 6 3P1 states

Abstract

The relaxation of 6 ³P₀ mercury atoms excited by a laser pulse was measured for densities ranging from 2×10¹⁷ to 8×10¹⁸ cm⁻³. The decay of the 253.7 nm resonance line was also measured for densities ranging from 5×10¹⁶ to 10¹⁸ cm ⁻³. The decay coefficients were analyzed to yield rate coefficients for three body molecular formation, the ³P₁→³P₀ collision rate and a collisional quenching rate for the ³P₀ state. Small loss rates due to diffusion and radiation were also observed and found to be consistent with theoretical estimates of these quantities.