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COLLISIONAL DEPOLARIZATION OF ZEEMAN COHERENCES IN THE ¹³³Cs 6p²P_3/2 LEVEL WITH ARGON MOLECULES: TWO-PHOTON POLARIZATION SPECTROSCOPY.

S. B. BAYRAM, S. KIN, M. WELSH AND R. MARHATTA, Miami University, Physics Department, Oxford, OH 45056.

An experimental investigation of the Cs 6s²S_1/2 rightarrow 6p²P_3/2 10s²S_1/2 double resonance two-photon polarization spectrum has been made. In the investigation, a linear polarization degree was measured to extract the alignment depolarization cross section in the cesium 6p²P_3/2 level due to collisions between ground-level argon and excited 6p²P_3/2 cesium atoms over the Zeeman coherences. The spectra show strong depolarization of the Cs 6p²P_3/2 level. The measured alignment depolarization cross section value of 186~(58) Å² is in good agreement with experiment and theoretical predictions.