Disalignment of neon excited atoms in the fine-structure 2pi levels (in Paschen notation) of the 2p53p configuration is investigated in a helium–neon glow discharge at temperatures between 15 and 77 K. At several temperatures, we plot the disalignment rate as a function of the helium atom density for Ne∗ (2p2 or 2p7) + He(1s2) collisions. The slope of this dependence gives the disalignment rate coefficient. For both collisions, the experimental data for the disalignment rate coefficient show a more rapid decrease with the decrease in temperature below 40 K than our quantum close-coupling calculations based on the model potential of Hennecart and Masnou-Seeuws (1985 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Phys. 18 657). This finding suggests that the disalignment cross section rapidly decreases below a few millielectronvolts, in disagreement with our theoretical quantum calculations which predict a strong increase below 1 meV. The disagreement suggests that the long-range electrostatic potentials are significantly more repulsive than in the aforementioned model.

In a positive column of a glow discharge, a linearly polarized laser pulse produces aligned neon atoms in the 2p2 (Paschen notation) level, and the subsequent fluorescence is observed with its polarized components resolved. The relaxation rate of the alignment, or the disalignment rate, is thus determined. The populations of the 1s2 – 1s5 levels are found to be strongly dependent on the discharge current, and so are the degrees of radiation re-absorption of the transition lines from 2p2 to these levels. A Monte Carlo simulation is performed by which the disalignment rate by radiation re-absorption for these transitions is determined, where the isotope splitting of the transition lines is taken into account. This rate is subtracted from the observed disalignment rate, resulting in the rate being independent of the degree of radiation re-absorption. Thus, disalignment due to atom collisions and that due to radiation re-absorption are separated. For the latter disalignment the disalignment rate deduced by the simulation, treating the four transitions simultaneously, is found to be virtually equal to the sum of the disalignment rates for each of the transitions. The approximate expression for the disalignment rate given by D’Yakonov and Perel’ (1965 Sov. Phys.–JETP 20 997) is quantified, so that it can be applied to estimating the disalignment rate of an upper level having several transition lines with finite optical thickness.