Influence of atomic collisions on the selectivity of resonant excitation in isotope separation

An analysis is made of interisotope excitation transfer in laser isotope separation. Kinetic equations are applied to estimate the dependence of the excitation selectivity on the density of the atomic vapor in the illuminated zone. Results are presented of experimental investigations for atoms having optical transitions with simple and complex isotopic structures. Measurements are made of the excitation transfer cross section and the possibility of obtaining large quantities of material by laser isotope separation in atomic vapors is demonstrated.