The polarisation of collisionally redistributed atomic fluorescence

Abstract

The polarisation of atomic line fluorescence resulting from the excitation of a collisional complex is calculated on the basis of a simple molecular picture for the pair of colliding atoms. The red-wing region is treated in detail as arising from excitation of both Pi and Sigma molecular states at different internuclear distances, and the blue wing is identified as predominantly due to the Sigma state. A calculation for the strontium 4607 AA line gives good qualitative agreement with the experiment.