Disentanglement of magnetic field mixing reveals the spontaneous M2 decay rate for a metastable level in Xe

• Published in: Physical review. A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics Vol. 72; no. 2; p. 020501
• Main Authors: Schef, P., Lundin, P., Biémont, Emile, Kallberg, A., Norlin, L. O., Palmeri, P., Royen, P., Simonsson, A., Mannervik, S.
• Format: Web Resource Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Physical Soc 01-08-2005
• Subjects: ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS; BEAM; CATIONS; Chemistry; Chimie; E2-TRANSITIONS; Electrical & electronics engineering; Engineering, computing & technology; EXTRAPOLATION; Fysik; Ingénierie électrique & électronique; Ingénierie, informatique & technologie; ION STORAGE-RING; LIFETIME; M2-TRANSITIONS; MAGNETIC FIELDS; METASTABLE STATES; NATURAL SCIENCES; NATURVETENSKAP; NONLINEAR PROBLEMS; Physical, chemical, mathematical & earth Sciences; Physics; Physique; Physique, chimie, mathématiques & sciences de la terre; RADIATIVE DECAY; TRANSITION; XENON; XENON IONS
• ISSN: 1094-1622; 1050-2947; 1094-1622
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.72.020501

We have investigated the radiative decay of the metastable level 5d(4)D(7/2) in Xe+. Theoretically we find the decay to be heavily dominated by an M2 transition and not by M1/E2 transitions. Lifetime measurements of 5d(4)D(7/2) in a storage ring are difficult since magnetic mixing of the metastable with a short-lived level quenches its population. Decay rates were determined at different magnetic field strengths (B) in order to allow a nonlinear extrapolation to B=0. The experimental lifetime of 2.4 +/- 0.8 s was in agreement with the calculated value, but much smaller than previously estimated.