RELATIVE CROSS-SECTIONS FOR CA(1F3) SUBLEVELS (M-ABSOLUTE VALUE = 0-3) THROUGH ALIGNMENT EFFECTS IN COLLISIONAL ENERGY-TRANSFER - CA(4S4F,1F3) + RG -] CA(4P2,1S0) + RG AS A FUNCTION OF RARE-GAS

The Ca(4s4f,1F3) state is prepared by three-photon excitation using three linearly polarized lasers. Subsequent collisions with rare-gas atoms (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, or Xe) induce a population transfer to the near-resonant Ca(4p2,1S0) state. The collisional energy-transfer process is measured as a function of the alignment angle beta, between the average relative velocity vector and the laser polarizations. For the first time cos (6 beta) behavior of the cross section is observed in collision processes. The angular wave function of the Ca(1F3) state depends on the angles of the three laser polarizations with respect to each other. The alignment effect is determined for two different initial angular wave functions, Y3,0 and (Y3,-1 - Y3,1)/ square-root 2, which display dramatically different alignment dependences. Each alignment curve can be analyzed in terms of the same set of relative cross sections for the individual Ca(1F3) magnetic sublevels, providing an independent verification of the data. The relative cross sections sigma\M\ vary smoothly as a function of rare gas, with Ar, Kr, and Xe having the largest alignment effect: sigma-o almost-equal-to 3.7 sigma\3\. A remarkable propensity for the M = 0 cross section sigma-0 is observed, which may be explained on the basis of radial coupling between the 1F3 state and the 1S0 state, which is exclusively M = 0.