ORIENTATION OF THE 4-P-1 STATE IN CALCIUM BY ELECTRON-IMPACT

This paper reports the first study of superelastic electron scattering from optically pumped calcium atoms. The orientation parameter L(perpendicular to) has been measured at two energies, 25.7 and 45 eV, referred to the ground state. The angular range of the experiments was 3 degrees to 100 degrees. The present results are compared with those obtained from an electron-photon coincidence experiment and with the predictions of several calculations based on a distorted wave formalism. Poor agreement is found with the previous experiments. Agreement between the present work and theory is better at 45 eV than at the lower energy.