Radiative lifetimes of some group II ions by the Hanle effect in a fast-flowing helium afterglow

Abstract

Radiative lifetimes of the first ${}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}P_{\frac{3}{2}}^{}{}_{}{}^{}$ state of Mgu, Cau, Znu, Sru, Cdu, and Bau are reported as measured by the Hanle effect in a fast-flowing helium afterglow. They are, respectively, 3.65(0.12), 6.61(0.30), 2.4(0.3), 6.64(0.10), 2.86(0.25), 6.78(0.40) in units of ${10}^{-9\mathrm{}}$ sec. The ions in the afterglow are created by Penning ionization of the neutral metal atoms, thus providing a steady-state, field-free region for observation. Comparisons are made with measurements by other methods, and discrepancies are discussed.