Absolute Measurements of Collisional Ionization of Xenon Atoms in Well-Defined High Rydberg States

Measurements of the absolute cross sections for Xe⁺ production in collisions between xenon atoms in a single well-defined high Rydberg state $|nf〉$ and SF₆ are reported and are {~}10^-11 cm² for $25<~n<~40$. The data lend support to the hypothesis that these collisions are dominated by the electron-SF₆ interaction, with the Xe⁺ ion core playing a minor role.