1.4. Observed results of measurement of optical excitation functions and polarizations.

Measurements of the cross-section for excitation of spectral lines by electron impact have been carried out for H, He, Li, N, A, Kr, Xe, Na, Cs, Rb, Zn, C, Hg, TI, Ag and Pb. 1.4.1. Results of measurements in atomic hydrogen. The excitation function for the Ly E-line observed by Fite, Stebbings, and Brackmann is illustrated. Estimates that have been made, using theretical cross-section for excitation of higher states, of contribution to the the population of the 2p states by optical transitions from such states suggests that this is negligible, so that the observed curve should give correctly the variation with energy of the cross-section for direct excitation of 2p state. The measured values of the cross-section obtained by Chamberlain for the excitation of the Ly Eline near the threshold are given. The cross-section rises very steeply to a maximum, decreases to a minimum in about 0.3 eV and then rises again. In this experiment the electron energy distribution was measured by a modulated retarding potential technique and showed a width of 0.35 eV at halfmaximum intensities. The dotted curve is the shape expected for the true excitation function obtain from the solid curve and allowed for this electron energy distribution. The solid curve can be expressed by the function: Q1 (1s-2p)= 9.5(E-11.62)2 6.00(E-11.62)+7.531, Where E is in eV. Fig 4.17 shows the observed optical functions for the HE-, HF-, and HK- lines. The polarization of the HE-radiation obsevered by Kleinpoppen et al. is shown in Fig. 4.18. (22)

1.4.2. Results of measurment in helium. It is convenient to divide consideration of the observed results into two electron energy ranges, above and below 35 eV respectively. In the higher-energy range the optical excitation functions and polarization vary smooth with energy. Its very important in the lower range in which the excitation functions show structure. 1.4.2.1. Optical excitation function for electron energies greater than 35 eV. The striking feature of observations is the similarity of the form optical excitation functions for line whose upper states have the same multiplicity and total orbital angular momentum. In fact the rusults may be represented quite well by writing for the apparent excitation cross-section for lines of the same series Qj(E) = Mjq(E), Where j distinguishes a particular line, q(E) is the characteristic excitation function for the series normalized to a maximum value of unity. Mj is a quantity independent of electron energy, E, which determines the scale for the particular line concerned. Fig 4.19 shows the forms of q(E) for the 1S, 3S, 1P, 3P, 1D, and 3D series as derived from the observations of St. John, Miller, and Lin. The main feartures that are shown here are certainly correct. Thus the cross-section for excitation of optically allowed transitions rise to a maximum at a higher energy (3-4 times the threshold value) than for any other transitions. Except for observations of Jobe and St.John for the excitation of 23P, the observed rare of decrease, though rapid, is much slower than excepted theoritically. In all the singlet states the rate of decrease at these energies is much slower. The excitation functions obtained by different observers we see that considerable discreapancies still exist. Compares the results obtained by different observers for the peak cross_section and also cross_section at an accelerating energy of 108 eV for three diffrent groups. All the observers measured light emitted normally to the electron beam. On the whole the agreement between the results of diffrent observers is

reasonably satisfactory. An exception is the case of 31P. The large value of Stewart and Gabathuler, of Thieme, and Lees can be attibuted to the fact that they did not work at pressure low enough to eliminate imprisonment of resonance radiation, so that their measured cross-section are abnormally high. To obtain true cross-section, corrections have to be made for the effects of polarization and cascading. These corrections vary with electron energy. The polarization correction reduces the apparent cross-section, and values based on the measurements of McFarland and Soltysik have been used by St.John et al. to correct their data. The correction is zero for S states and in the energy range up to 500 eV varies from 4 to 7 per cent for 1P levels, 13 to 17 per cent for 1D levels, 5 per cent for 3 P levels, and 4 to 5 per cent for 3D levels. The correction was largest for the lowest levels. The cascade correction reduces the true excitation cross-section still futher. It is smaller and more dependent on electron energy for singlet than for triplet levels. The cascade corrections for the triplet levels were nearly indenpendent of electron energy. In the next results obtaine by Jobe and St.Jhon for excitation of the 21P and 23P levels using infra-red detectors, we see that the markable feature of this work is that, for the firstime, a triplet excitation functions was obtained that fell off as rapily with electron energy as expected by theory. This is the sharp contrast with relatively large excitation cross-section derived for higher triplet states which, at energies of a few hundred eV, are orders of magnitued larger than the theoretical. The 21P excitation cross-section derived by Jobe and St.John again in comparison with theory. Gabriel and Heddle found that, for a given type of term the cross-section was proportional to n*-3, where n* i the effective principal quantaum number defined by n*=I-1 where Iis the term value in rydbergs. A somewhat, similar analysis was carried out early by Frost and Phelps, using Thiemes data only. The accuracy of these representations of the helium excitation cross-sections should not be overestimated. While it is likely that the use of the empirical

relationship will tend to eliminate inaccuracies in relative values for terms of a given system, the absolute values will not be more accurate than the original observations. Also, while the procedure seems to be effective, for the triplet terms it can only be relied upon to give semi-quantitative results at electron energies very close to the threshold, for reasons already mentioned above. 1.4.2.2. Optical excitation functions for the electron energies less than 35 eV. The great improvement in the homogeneity of the electron beams in optical excitation function experiments, particularly in the work of Smit and of McFarland and their collaborators, has yielded convincing information about the detailed structure of the optical excitation function in the low-energy region. McFarland used a gun producing a electron beam of energy 0.2 eV while corresponding width in the experiments of Smit et al. was 0.4eV. Both experiments revealed a sharp very close to the excitation threshold. The peak is less clear in the measurements of Yakhontova, who used a less homogeneous electron beam. The agreement in detail is remarkable and provides very strong confirmation of reality of the observed structure. For lines originating on 3D terms the smoothing that occurs as the principal quantum number increases is most marked. Referring to further structure is clearly seen, but this has almost disappeared in the results for the 43D-22P line at 4471 . No peaks close to the threshold appear for lines originating on 3P upper states, although McFarland observed structure in the curves. For the 1P states there is no true peak but a discontinuity in slope just above the threshold. However, reference to Fig.4.27 shows that there is reasonabley cloes agreement between the results of different observers, though McFarland finds more detailed structure than do Smit et al.or Heddle and Keesing. Finally, in Fig.4.28 the diffrent results for the 33P-23S line at 3889 are compared. As far as can be judged there does seem to be some agreement in detail between the results of Smit et al. and of McFarland. Yakhontova finds a kink at less than 1 eV above threshold that agrees quite closely with location of a

corresponding fairly pronounced kink in their result. However, the fluctuation are not so marked as in the other cases and it is not yet certain how definite they are. The result of Heddle and Keesing do not exhibit this kink. It is of considerable interest to determine whether the structural details found can be accounted for through population from higher states. In any case the sharp peaks near threshold that appear in so many cases cannot be due to population from above. Thus the peaks arise in lines with S or D upper states. These could be popolated only from excited P states but for such states the cross-section rises far more gradually from threshold than for any other states. The behaviour of the exciation cross-section for the 41D-21P (Fig.4.25) and 43D-23P (Fig.4.26) lines have been investigated at energies within a few tenths of an eV of the threshold.

1.4.2.3. Polarization. From Fig.4.29 and Fig 4.5 we see that there is general agreement between the different authors with respect to the form of variation of the polarization with electron energy although the absolute values obtained vary considerably from author to author. Of the greatest interest are the measurement of the polarization near the threshold. The early observations of Skinner and Appleyard gave an polarization tending to zero at the threshold, a result in clear contradiction with quite general considerations. McFarland was first to obtain results for the 51D-21P and 41-21P lines in which the polarization remaned high very close to the threshold, in good agreement with theory. Heddle and Keesing, however, were unable to find any signigcant affect from scattered electron in their experiments. The polarization measurements of Heddle and Keesing near excitation threshold. Also shown are the theoretically expected values at threshold. The effective cross-section for the excitation of this line is small and this limits the precision of the polarization measurement.

1.4.3. Results of measurements in mercury vapour. The most extensive observations are those of Jongerius and the transitions that he studied are indicated in the energy-level diagram of the mercury atom shown in Fig.4.31.