Depolarising collisions in a three-level system of Xe I

Abstract
Depolarising collisions are studied in a three-level system J=0 to or from 1 to or from 0 in Xe I. The authors separately detect the atoms which have undergone a collisional transfer between Zeeman sublevels and those which have not. The disalignment cross section is measured together with the velocity changes which accompany collisional transfers. These velocity changes appear to be very small.