Determination of diffusion coefficients of mercury atoms in various gases from longitudinal spin relaxation in magnetic gradients

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to measure mercury atom diffusion coefficients in various gases using longitudinal spin relaxation in magnetic gradients, providing a comprehensive set of data at room temperature and low pressure.

Contribution

It presents a novel measurement technique for diffusion coefficients based on spin relaxation, applicable to multiple gases and offering consistent data at standard conditions.

Findings

Diffusion coefficients for mercury in nine gases are provided.

The method enables accurate measurements at room temperature and low pressure.

A comprehensive dataset of mercury diffusion in common gases is established.

Abstract

We present a method to measure the binary diffusion coefficient of mercury atoms in a gas at room temperature and low pressure. It is based on the measurement of the longitudinal spin relaxation of optically pumped mercury-199 atoms in a magnetic field gradient. We provide a consistent set of diffusion coefficients for helium-3, helium-4, argon, krypton, xenon, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and air.