A PULSED-SOURCE FOR XE(6S[3 2](1)) AND XE(6S'[1/2](1)) RESONANCE STATE ATOMS USING 2-PHOTON DRIVEN AMPLIFIED SPONTANEOUS EMISSION FROM THE XE(6P) AND XE(6P') STATES/

A new, simple method for the generation of Xe(6s[3/2](1)) and Xe(6s'[1 /2](1)) atoms is described. The method involves resonant two-photon ex citation of Xe(6p[1/2](0) and 6p'[3/2](2)) states followed by amplifie d spontaneous emission (ASE) to the Xe(6s[3/2](1) and 6s'[1/2](1)) sta tes. The vacuum ultraviolet transitions, Xe(6s[3/2](1)-->5p(6)(S-1(0)) ) at 147 nm and Xe(6s'[1/2](1)-->5p(6)(S-1(0))) at 129.6 nm, were used to monitor the time dependence of the resonance state atom concentrat ions. The quenching rate constants of these resonance atoms with ten m olecules were measured at 300 K. The quenching cross-sections of the X e(6s and 6s') resonance atoms are compared to the cross-sections of th e metastable Xe(6s[3/2](2)) atoms and Xe(6p[3/2](2)) atoms. The correl ation between quenching cross-sections and photoabsorption cross-secti on of the molecules predicted by the resonance dipole-dipole energy tr ansfer model is discussed. The applicability of the two-photon driven ASE method for the generation of other resonance state atoms is consid ered. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.