  We have measured the ratio of the diffusion cross-section to the angular
momentum reorientation cross-section in the colliding Fe-3He and Ni-3He
systems. Nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe) atoms are introduced via laser ablation into
a cryogenically cooled experimental cell containing cold (< 1 K) 3He buffer
gas. Elastic collisions rapidly cool the translational temperature of the
ablated atoms to the helium temperature. The cross-section ratio is extracted
by measuring the decays of the atomic Zeeman sublevels. For our experimental
conditions, thermal energy is comparable to the Zeeman splitting. As a result,
thermal excitations between Zeeman sublevels significantly impact the observed
decay. To determine the cross-section ratio accurately, we introduce a model of
Zeeman state dynamics that includes thermal excitations. We find the
cross-section ratio for Ni-3He = 5 x 10^3 and Fe-3He <= 3 x 10^3 at 0.75 K in a
0.8 T magnetic field. These measurements are interpreted in the context of
submerged shell suppression of spin relaxation as studied previously in
transition metals and rare earth atoms.
