| Original Articles |
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Non-Monotonicity of Excited State Populations Observed in a Cu--He Hollow Cathode Discharge |
| ZHENG Xu-Tao |
| Department of Physics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030
Key Laboratory of Applied Ion Beam Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 |
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| Cite this article: |
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ZHENG Xu-Tao 2005 Chin. Phys. Lett. 22 1474-1477 |
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Abstract An interesting non-monotonic structure in the distribution of excited state populations is observed in a Cu--He hollow cathode discharge, and this is explained by $l$-changing collisions of the excited states with background gas atoms. At helium pressure of 0.1 Torr and cathode current of 200-300mA, relative populations of He I 1snp 1P (n= 2-16) states are measured with the corresponding VUV radiation intensities, and are plotted against excitation energies. As energy levels increase, populations of high-n (n> 10) states are found to decrease much more quickly than low-n (n< 7) populations. For intermediate states (n= 7-10), the declining tendency is interfered by population transfers from 1sns 1S states due to l-changing collisions, and an obvious non-monotonic structure is formed at relatively low electric current. Measurements have also been carried out for He II np 2P (n= 2-14) series, in which the l-changing collisions are overwhelmed by Stark quenching of the n2S states and thus population interference does not occur.
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| Keywords:
52.80.Hc
52.20.-j
32.70.Fw
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Published: 01 June 2005
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