Nuclear Orientation of Radon Isotopes by Spin-Exchange Optical Pumping

This paper reports the first demonstration of nuclear orientation of radon atoms. The method employed was spin exchange with potassium atoms polarized by optical pumping. The radon isotopes were produced at the ISOLDE isotope separator of CERN. The nuclear alignment of ²⁰⁹Rn and ²²³Rn has been measured by observation of γ-ray anisotropies and the magnetic dipole moment for ²⁰⁹Rn has been measured by the nuclear-magnetic-resonance method to be |μ|=0.83881(39)μN.