Rotationally inelastic collisions of He and Ar with NaK: Theory and Experiment
Department
Physics
Major
Physics
Research Advisor
Hickman, Peet
Advisor's Department
Physics
Funding Source
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Abstract
Rotationally inelastic collisions of NaK (A 1Σ+) molecules with He and Ar have been studied. In the experiments at Lehigh, we use a pump-probe scheme (the probe is scanned over transitions to the 3 1Π state) with either polarization labeling (PL) or laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy. The pump laser excites a particular ro-vibrational level A 1Σ+ (v, J). We observe strong direct lines corresponding to transitions from the (v, J) level pumped, and weak satellite lines corresponding to transitions from collisionally-populated levels (v, J'=J + ΔJ). The ratios of satellite to direct line intensities in LIF and PL yield information about population and orientation transfer. A strong propensity for ΔJ= even transitions is observed for both He and Ar perturbs. Theoretical calculations are also underway for collisions in both the A 1Σ+ and X 1Σ+ states. For He-NaK we have calculated potential surfaces using GAMESS and carried out coupled channel scattering calculations of transfer of population, orientation, and alignment.
Biography
Josey Stevens is a junior in Physics at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He has done research on Quantum Phase Transitions of Highly Disordered Solid State Systems and Atom Molecule Collision Theory. He is the president of the local Society of Physics Student and will be working at Los Alamos National Labs in the Summer of 2015.
Research Category
Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Location
Upper Atrium/Hall
Presentation Date
15 Apr 2015, 9:00 am - 11:45 am
Rotationally inelastic collisions of He and Ar with NaK: Theory and Experiment
Upper Atrium/Hall
Rotationally inelastic collisions of NaK (A 1Σ+) molecules with He and Ar have been studied. In the experiments at Lehigh, we use a pump-probe scheme (the probe is scanned over transitions to the 3 1Π state) with either polarization labeling (PL) or laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy. The pump laser excites a particular ro-vibrational level A 1Σ+ (v, J). We observe strong direct lines corresponding to transitions from the (v, J) level pumped, and weak satellite lines corresponding to transitions from collisionally-populated levels (v, J'=J + ΔJ). The ratios of satellite to direct line intensities in LIF and PL yield information about population and orientation transfer. A strong propensity for ΔJ= even transitions is observed for both He and Ar perturbs. Theoretical calculations are also underway for collisions in both the A 1Σ+ and X 1Σ+ states. For He-NaK we have calculated potential surfaces using GAMESS and carried out coupled channel scattering calculations of transfer of population, orientation, and alignment.
Comments
Advisor: Physics-Lehigh University