4:00 PM–4:00 PM, Thursday, May 19, 2005
Burnham Yates Conference Center - Lancaster 4:00-6:00 pm
Seda Kin
Morgan J. Welsh
S. Burcin Bayram
(Miami University, OH)
We report an experimental investigation of collisional depolarization of the atomic cesium $6s^{2}S_{1/2}\rightarrow 10s^{2}S_{1/2}$ two-color two-photon polarization spectrum. The Ar pressure dependence of the spectrum revealed strong depolarization in the vicinity of the $6s^{2}S_{1/2}\rightarrow6p^{2}P_{3/2}\rightarrow10s^{2}S_{1/2}$ stepwise resonances using short pulse pump-probe technique. The linear polarization degree was measured with the first laser tuned to resonance and the second laser tuned within a \pm 11 $cm^{-1}$ range. In the absence of collisions, the measured polarization spectrum is in excellent agreement with calculations. The polarization measurement on the $6s^{2}S_{1/2}\rightarrow6p^{2}P_{3/2}\rightarrow10s^{2}S_{1/2}$ transition and an overview of the experimental techniques of our results are also presented.