Radio-Frequency Resonance of the Metastable State ${\left(2\mathrm{}{}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}P_{\frac{3}{2}}^{}{}_{}{}^{} 3{}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}S_{\frac{1}{2}}^{}{}_{}{}^{}\right)}_2$ of Neon Produced and Aligned by Electron Impact

The metastable state ${\left(2\mathrm{}{}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}P_{\frac{3}{2}}^{}{}_{}{}^{} 3{}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}S_{\frac{1}{2}}^{}{}_{}{}^{}\right)}_2$ of neon was produced and aligned by electron impact. The diodestructure electron gun was operated at a high electron-current density under space-charge neutralization conditions. Radio-frequency resonance of the aligned metastable state ${\left(2\mathrm{}{}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}P_{\frac{3}{2}}^{}{}_{}{}^{} 3{}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}S_{\frac{1}{2}}^{}{}_{}{}^{}\right)}_2$ was observed by monitoring the change of absorption of the $\lambda 6143$-resonance radiation passing through the gap between the cathode and anode. The neon metastable-state resonance was compared with the mercury metastable-state $6{}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}P_2^{}{}_{}{}^{}$ radio-frequency resonance obtained by using the same gun for both, and observed by monitoring the absorption of the $\lambda 5461$-resonance radiation passing through the same excitation region. The observed $\frac{{\left(g_J\right)}_{\mathrm{Ne}}}{{\left(g_J\right)}_{\mathrm{Hg}}}$ was 1.008±0.024. This method could be applied to other atoms having a metastable state with $J>\mathrm{}0\mathrm{}$.