title: Measurement of asymmetric optical pumping of ions accelerating in a magnetic-field gradient.
abstract: We report observations of asymmetric optical pumping of argon ions accelerating in a magnetic-field gradient. The signature is a difference in the laser-induced-fluorescence emission amplitude from a pair of Zeeman-split states. A model that reproduces the dependence of the asymmetry on magnetic-field and ion-velocity gradients is described. With the model, the fluorescence intensity ratio provides a new method of measuring ion collisionality. This phenomenon has implications for interpreting stellar plasma spectroscopy data which often exhibit unequal Zeeman state intensities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Earl
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scime
authors.forename: Mahmood
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miah
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Skiff