Inelastic Collisions Between Excited Alkali Atoms and Molecules X. Temperature Dependence of Cross Sections for 2P1/2↔2P3/2 Mixing in Cesium, Induced in Collisions with Deuterated Hydrogens, Ethanes, and Propanes

Abstract

The dependence on temperature of the cross sections for 2P1/2 ↔ 2P3/2 mixing in cesium, induced in collisions with various deuterated hydrogen, ethane and propane molecules, has been studied in the range 290–650 K. In the cases of hydrogen and ethane, the behavior of the cross sections was found to depend on the degree of deuteration of the molecules. The very large sizes of the mixing cross sections and the isotope effect observed in their variation with temperature, are ascribed to the phenomenon of electronic to rotational energy transfer.