The hyperfine relaxation of a population difference, produced by optical pumping, between the F-l niF -0 and F = 2 MF -O energy levels of the ground state of Rb 87 , has been studied in cells containing neon, argon, helium, or krypton as a buffer gas. The relaxation times T\ and T* have been measured as a function of the rubidium vapor pressure in the cell. The relaxation rate due to spin exchange in Rb 87 -Rb 87 collisions has been found equal to 65 sec -1 at 44°C, and the diffusion coefficients of Rb 87 atoms in He, Ne, and Ar evaluated as 0.6, 0.31, and 0.22 cm 2 sec -1 , respectively. The cross section for Rb 87 -Ne and Rb 87 -Ar collisions are found to be 1.6X 10~2 2 cm 2 and 9X 10~2 2 cm 2 . These values are* in general agreement with values previously obtained by other methods. The extrapolated values of 1/T 2 for zero vapor pressure of rubidium are 185, 237, and 318 sec -1 for Ne, He, or Ar, respectively. Relaxations by the pumping light or by the magnetic field inhomogeneities are also discussed.
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