Sensitized fluorescence in sodium induced in collisions with Hg(63P1) atoms

Collisional transfer of excitation from mercury to sodium was investigated using methods of sensitized fluorescence. A mixture of mercury and sodium vapors at low pressure was irradiated with Hg 2537 Å resonance radiation, producing a population of Hg(6 3 P 1 ) atoms whose inelastic collisions with ground-state sodium atoms resulted in a transfer of excitation energy to close-lying S, P, and D states in sodium. The subsequent decay of these states manifested itself in the emission of a sensitized fluorescent spectrum. Absolute intensity measurements on the components of the spectrum yielded 21 cross sections whose magnitudes range from 0.02 to 38.5 Å 2 and which exhibit a pronounced resonance with ΔE, the energy defect between Hg (6 3 P 1 ) and the appropriate level in sodium.