Experimental investigation of the longitudinal relaxation time of electronic polarization of the ground state of potassium atoms in a cell with an antirelaxation coating on the walls

We report the results of an experimental investigation of the longitudinal relaxation time T ₁ of the electronic polarization of the ground state of potassium atoms in cells with an antirelaxation coating on the walls. Investigations were performed for a number of cells at temperature T=24°C. The maximum recorded relaxation times τ are 3.6, 4.3, and 5.2 s for cells with diameter D=50,75, and 100 nm, respectively. These are the longest longitudinal relaxation times ever recorded in coated cells. The transverse relaxation time was measured for these cells at the same temperature: T ₂=0.72,1.1, and 1.4 s, respectively. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 70, No. 3, 198–202 (10 August 1999)