High-efficiency conversion of the electronic excitation energy to the translational degrees of freedom in collisions of excited atoms with the surface of a solid

An experimental study is reported about the quenching of electronic excitat ion of Cs atoms caused by their collisions with a glass surface. The energy with which they are scattered from the surface after quenching has been me asured to be 0.5 eV, which is about one-third of the excitation energy A di scussion is given of the mechanisms by which the excitation energy is parti tioned between the atom and the surface in two different cases, namely, in the excitation of the atom adsorbed on the surface and in the collision of the preexcited atom with the surface. (C) 2000 MAIK "Nauka/lnterperiodica".