Contribution of hexadecapole alignment to the polarization of quadrupole emission under laser excitation conditions

The linear polarization of quadrupole emission by the J = 2 - J(0) = 0 tran sition under conditions of laser excitation in a gas medium is studied. Cas es of excitation through dipole and quadrupole absorption of monochromatic laser radiation are considered. Taking into account the anisotropy of colli sional relaxation, the contributions of polarization moments of the second and fourth ranks, i.e., those with usual and hexadecapole alignments, to th e signal of linear polarization of quadrupole emission are calculated. The dependence of this signal on the laser frequency, the density of the gas me dium, and the angles determining the orientation of the system of axes of o bservation of light polarization relative to a laser ray is studied. The nu merical calculations of contributions of usual and hexadecapole alignment t o the signal of linear polarization are made for the magnetic quadrupole tr ansition J = 2 - J(0) = 0 between the states 2p(5)(P-2(1/2)0)3p 3p'[3/2](2) and 2p(5)(P-2(1/2)0)3s 3s'[1/2](0) of neon atoms in the xenon atmosphere. (C) 2000 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".