Electronic gJFactors, Natural Lifetimes, and Electric Quadrupole Interaction for Rb87in the np2P3/2Series of the Rb I Spectrum

For Rb87the level crossing method was applied to the first four levels (n= 5, 6, 7, and 8) of thenp2P3/2series in the Rb I spectrum. By using magnetic dipole interaction constants from corresponding zero field optical double resonance experiments, the electronicgJfactors of 5, 6, and 7p2P3/2were calculated from the level crossing data. For these levels the natural radiative lifetimes were determined from the half-widths of the level crossing signals. For 8p2P3/2theafactor was obtained assuminggJ= -1.336 (2). From the measured electric quadrupole interaction constantsb, decreasing values of the nuclear quadrupole momentQwere obtained in 5, 6, 7, and 8p2P3/2. When core polarization effects are taken into account, the different2P3/2levels yield consistent values for the quadrupole moment. We find gJ(5p2P3/2) = -1.3362 (6) gJ(6p2P3/2) = -1.3347 (10) τ (5p2P3/2) = 25.8 (8) ns τ (6p2P3/2) = 111 (3) ns b(5p2P3/2) = 12.510 (57) MHz b(6p2P3/2) = 3.947 (13) MHz Q(5p2P3/2) = 0.131 barn Q(6p2P3/2) = 0.133 barn gJ(7p2P3/2) = -1.3359 (11) a(8p2P3/2) = 6.747 (14) MHz τ (7p2P3/2) = 233 (10) ns b(8p2P3/2) = 0.933 (20) MHz b(7p2P3/2) = 1.768 (8) MHz Q(8p2P3/2) = 0.131 barn Q(7p2P3/2) = 0.133 barn Considering possible sources of error in the evaluation of the quadrupole moment we obtainQ(Rb87) = +0.132 (9) barn.