The FERRUM project: Experimental transition probabilities from highly excited even 5s levels in Cr II

Abstract:
We report lifetime measurements of the five levels in the 3d(4)(a(5)D)5s e(6)D term in Cr II at an energy around 83 000 cm(-1), and log(gf) values for 38 transitions from the investigated levels. The lifetimes are obtained using time-resolved, laser-induced fluorescence on ions from a laser-produced plasma. Since the levels have the same parity as the low-lying states directly populated in the plasma, we used a two-photon excitation scheme. This process is greatly facilitated by the presence of the 3d(4)(a(5)D)4p z(6)F levels at roughly half the energy difference. The f-values are obtained by combining the experimental lifetimes with branching fractions derived using relative intensities from a hollow cathode lamp recorded with a Fourier transform spectrometer.