Alkali Polarizabilities by the Atomic Beam Electrostatic Deflection Method

The electric dipole polarizabilities of the alkali atoms have been measured by observing the deflection of a collimated beam of neutral atoms in a two-wire-type inhomogeneous electric field. Beam deflection measurements are taken both for the case when $s_B$, the deflection of atoms with the most probable velocity in the source, is larger than the detector wire width $w_d$, and for $s_B<0.1\mathrm{}{w}_d$. The results in units of ${10}^{-24\mathrm{}}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^3$ are: $\alpha \left(\mathrm{Li}\right)=22\mathrm{}\pm 2$, $\alpha \left(\mathrm{Na}\right)=21.5\mathrm{}\pm 2$, $\alpha \mathrm{}\left(K\right)=38\mathrm{}\pm 4$, $\alpha \left(\mathrm{Rb}\right)=38\mathrm{}\pm 4$, and $\alpha \left(\mathrm{Cs}\right)=48\mathrm{}\pm 6$. These values are in reasonable agreement with other recent experimental and theoretical determinations of the alkali polarizabilities.