Measurements of the electronic excitation in atomic collisions of potassium with the rare gases

Excitation cross sections for the potassium 4²P_{$\text{1}\text{2}$} and 4²P_{$\text{3}\text{3}$} states produced in collisions with rare gases are reported. They have been measured by the lightly yield as a function of the energy from 100 to 2500 eV. In addition to this, a spectral analysis from 3300 to 8600 Å of the light is given for some energies. This spectral analysis gives experimental evidence that the excited and ionized states of both potassium and the rare gases are involved in the collision process.