We present total absolute collision cross sections for neon in the 3 P2 metastable state with ground state, thermal atoms and molecules using a recently developed experimental technique. The technique utilizes a magneto-optical trap (MOT) and involves the measurement of MOT population dynamics to determine the cross section. Collision cross section measurements are presented for metastable neon in the 3 P2 state with He, Ne, Ar, H2, O2, and N2. The average thermal energy of the collision ranges from 11 meV to 27 meV. The measurements made using this technique have small errors, of the order of 10% of the measured cross section and is capable of producing benchmark collision cross sections.
We present a new technique to measure absolute total collision cross sections from metastable neon atoms. The technique is based on the observation of the decay rate of trapped atoms as they collide with room temperature atoms. We present the first measurement of this kind using trapped neon atoms in the (3)P(2) metastable state colliding with thermal ground state argon. The measured cross section has a value of 556+/-26 A(2).
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