High-resolution laser spectroscopy of LiAr: Improved interaction potential and spin-rotation-coupling in the ground state X 2Σ+

Trapping and thermal migration of the first- and second-row atoms in Ar, Kr and Xe crystals

Trapping and temperature-induced migration (TIM) of the first- and second-row atoms A from H to Ne in the face-centered cubic rare gas RG = Ar, Kr and Xe crystals are investigated within the classical crystal model parameterized by the empirically modified pairwise potentials. New ab initio coupled cluster A-RG potentials computed in a uniform way for all the atoms A are used to represent the atom-crystal interactions. Absolute and relative stabilities of the substitutional and interstitial trapping sites, their structures, interstitial migration pathways, related activation energies and rough estimates of the TIM rates are obtained. The isotropic model, which neglects non-zero atomic electronic orbital momentum, reveals that migration of interstitial atoms along the network of conjugated fcc octahedral voids is the generic case for atomic mobility. Anisotropic interactions with a crystal inherent to P-state atoms B, C, O and F are accounted for using the non-relativistic diatomics-in-molecule method. Depending on its sign, interaction anisotropy can alter the structures of interstitial trapping sites and transition states remarkably. This, in turn, can dramatically affect the TIM rates. Comparison with reliable experimental data available for oxygen and hydrogen indicates a systematic overestimation of the measured activation energies, by 30% at worst. A comprehensive literature review accomplished for other atoms reveals a lack of information on the TIM processes and rates, though makes it possible to verify a part of the present results on the trapping site energies and structures.

Isotope study of the nonlinear pressure shifts of 85Rb and 87Rb hyperfine resonances in Ar, Kr, and Xe buffer gases

Measurements of the 0-0 hyperfine resonant frequencies of ground-state ⁸⁵Rb atoms show a nonlinear dependence on the pressure of the buffer gases Ar, Kr, and Xe. The nonlinearities are similar to those previously observed with ⁸⁷Rb and ¹³³Cs and presumed to come from alkali-metal-noble-gas van der Waals molecules. However, the shape of the nonlinearity observed for Xe conflicts with previous theory, and the nonlinearities for Ar and Kr disagree with the expected isotopic scaling of previous ⁸⁷Rb results. Improving the modeling alleviates most of these discrepancies by treating rotation quantum mechanically and considering additional spin interactions in the molecules. Including the dipolar-hyperfine interaction allows simultaneous fitting of the linear and nonlinear shifts of both ⁸⁵Rb and ⁸⁷Rb in either Ar, Kr, or Xe buffer gases with a minimal set of shared, isotope-independent parameters. To the limit of experimental accuracy, the shifts in He and N₂ were linear with pressure. The results are of practical interest to vapor-cell atomic clocks and related devices.

Elastic and glancing-angle rate coefficients for heating of ultracold Li and Rb atoms by collisions with room-temperature noble gases, H2, and N2

Trapped ultracold alkali-metal atoms can be used to measure pressure in the ultra-high-vacuum and XHV pressure regimes, those with p < 10^-6 Pa. This application for ultracold atoms relies on precise knowledge of collision rate coefficients of alkali-metal atoms with residual room-temperature atoms and molecules in the ambient vacuum or with deliberately introduced gasses. Here, we determine combined elastic and inelastic rate coefficients as well as glancing-angle rate coefficients for ultracold ⁷Li and ⁸⁷Rb with room-temperature noble gas atoms as well as H₂ and ¹⁴N₂ molecules. Glancing collisions are those processes where only little momentum is transferred to the alkali-metal atom and this atom is not ejected from its trap. Rate coefficients are found by performing quantum close-coupling scattering calculations using ab initio ground-state electronic Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surfaces. The potentials for Li and Rb with noble gas atoms and also for Rb(²S)-H₂(XΣ_g ⁺) and Rb(²S)-N₂(X¹Σ_g ⁺) systems are based on the non-relativistic spin-restricted coupled-cluster method with single, double, and noniterative triple excitations [RCCSD(T)]. For Li(²S)-N₂(X¹Σ_g ⁺), the potential is computed at the explicitly correlated spin-restricted RCCSD(T)-F12 level. For Rb, Kr, and Xe atoms, scalar relativistic corrections to the core electrons have been included, while second-order spin-orbit corrections from the valence electrons have been estimated. Data for Li-H₂ and Li-He were taken from the existing literature. We estimate standard uncertainties of the rate coefficients by comparing rate coefficients calculated using potentials found with electronic basis sets of increasing size, including estimates of relativistic spin-orbit corrections and the uncertainty of the van der Waals coefficients. The relative uncertainties of rate coefficients are 1%-2% with the exception of ⁷Li or ⁸⁷Rb colliding with ²⁰Ne. Those have relative uncertainties of 9% and 8%, respectively. We also show that a commonly used semiclassical approximation for the total elastic rate coefficient agrees with the quantum calculations to 10% with the exception of ⁷Li and ⁸⁷Rb collisions with H₂, where the semiclassical value underestimates the quantum value by 20%.

Potential energy curves and spin-orbit coupling of light alkali-heavy rare gas molecules

The potential energy curves of the X, A, and B states of alkali-rare gas diatomic molecules, MKr and MXe, are investigated for M = Li, Na, K. The molecular spin-orbit coefficients a(R)=<(2)Π(½)|Ĥ(SO)|(2)Π(½)> and b(R)=<(2)Π(-½)|Ĥ(SO)|(2)Σ(½)> are calculated as a function the interatomic distance R. We show that a(R) increases and b(R) decreases as R decreases. This effect becomes less and less important as the mass of the alkali increases. A comparison of the rovibrational properties deduced from our calculations with experimental measurements recorded for NaKr and NaXe shows the quality of the calculations.

Direct deperturbation analysis of the AΠ2∼BΣ+2 complex of LiAr7,6 isotopomers

Direct deperturbation analysis of the highly accurate experimental rovibronic term values of the A (2)Pi approximately B (2)Sigma(+) complex of LiAr [R. Bruhl and D. Zimmermann, J. Chem. Phys. 114, 3035 (2001)] has been performed in the framework of inverted close-coupling approach implicitly adjusted to the unified treatment of the overall A approximately B coupling effect without reducing the rovibrational dimensionality. The nonlinear fitting procedure was supported by the ab initio calculations on the spin-orbit and angular coupling matrix elements between the lowest X (2)Sigma(+), A (2)Pi, and B (2)Sigma(+) states. The analytical grid mapping based on the reduced variable representation of the radial coordinate r was used to improve the efficiency of the solution of the close-coupling radial equations near the dissociation limit. The mutual A approximately X perturbation effect on the A (2)Pi term values and spin-rotation splitting of the ground state were evaluated for both (7,6)LiAr isotopomers. The resulting empirical potential-energy curves for the adiabatic A (2)Pi and B (2)Sigma(+) states, along with the refined r-dependent nonadiabatic matrix elements, reproduce the total rovibronic structure of the (7)LiAr complex with the standard deviation of 0.003 cm(-1). The mass invariance of the deperturbed electronic parameters was confirmed by the calculation of the rovibronic term values of the (6)LiAr isotopomer which coincided with their experimental counterparts within 0.004 cm(-1).