Spin dependent inelastic collisions between metastable state two-electron atoms and ground state alkali-atoms

Abstract

Experimentally the spin dependence of inelastic collisions between ytterbium (Yb) in the metastable 3P2 state and lithium (Li) in the 2S1/2ground state manifold is investigated at low magnetic fields. Using selective excitation allmagnetic sublevels mJ of 174Yb(3P2) are accessed and four of the six lowest lyingmagnetic sublevels of 6Li are prepared by optical pumping.On the one hand, mJ-independence of collisions involving Li (F = 1/2) atoms is found. A systematicmJ-dependence in collisionswith Li (F = 3/2) atoms, in particular suppressed losses for stretched collisional states, is observed on the other hand. Further,mJ-changing processes are found to be of minor relevance. The span of observed inelastic collision rates is between 1 × 10-11 and 40 × 10-11 cm3 s-1, and a possible origin of the observed behavior is discussed.