Scattering of an alkali-metal atomic beam on anti-spin-relaxation coatings

摘要： We performed scattering experiments using a rubidium (Rb) atomic beam on paraf?n ?lms and measured the angular and velocity distributions of scattered atoms. The paraf?n ?lms were prepared in various ways and characterized by atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffraction. The ?lms exhibited various roughnesses and crystal structures. The paraf?n ?lms preserved the spin polarization of the scattered atoms. The measured angular distributions of all prepared ?lms were consistent with Knudsen’s cosine law. The velocity distributions were well ?tted by Maxwell’s distribution, characterized by a temperature much closer to the ?lm temperature than to the atomic-beam temperature. We therefore concluded that the translational motion of the scattered atoms was thermalized with the paraf?n ?lms via single-scattering events.