Effect of higher polarization moments on collisional beats of polarizations of light upon laser excitation

A contribution is examined that is made by the anisotropic collisional rela xation of higher polarization moments-the octupole orientation and the dode capole alignment-to the collisional generation of orientation of atomic ang ular momenta and to a signal of collisional beats of the circular polarizat ion of light. On the basis of a calculation of this signal for neon atoms e xcited by a single-mode laser to the 2p(4) (3p[3/2](2)), J = 2 state in atm osphere of xenon, it was found that the contribution of higher polarization moments to the amplitude of the signal substantially depends on pressure a nd reaches 10-15% of the contribution of the main process of generation of the circular polarization-interconversion of alignment and orientation of a ngular momenta under the action of anisotropic collisions. This contributio n distinctly manifests itself as a difference between a real signal and its approximation constructed without considering higher polarization moments.