Spin-exchange effects on tensor polarization of deuterium atoms.

Institut fu ¨r Teilchenphysik, Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland~Received 16 October 1996; revised manuscript received 15 October 1997!We present measurements of the effects of spin exchange on the nuclear tensor polarization of atomicdeuterium gas. Measurements of the nuclear polarization have been performed at several values of the mag-netic field. In these measurements, only the gas density was changed, leaving all other experimental parametersconstant. The results are in qualitative agreement with a model, based on the spin-exchange mechanismproposed by Purcell and Field. The results are relevant for nuclear and particle-physics experiments, usingnuclear polarized hydrogen or deuterium targets, as well as for laser optical pumping applications of