The density dependence of the Hanle effect in the resonance line of atomic barium

The change in the Hanle effect of the singlet resonance line of neutral barium has been studied over a wide range of density. The low density region has been used to confirm a lifetime of 8.37 ± 0.08 ns for the 6s6p1P1 level. We have determined the cross sections for the relaxation of the multipole moment of order 2 for collisions of the excited level with the ground level and with the metastable 6s5d1D2 level, and comparisons are made with the measured value of [Formula: see text] for the ground level with theoretical predictions.