Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 163002 (2003) [4 pages]First Observation of Atomic Levels for the Element Fermium (Z=100)
See accompanying Physics Focus The atomic level structure of the element fermium was investigated for the first time using a sample of 2.7×1010 atoms of the isotope 255Fm with a half-life of 20.1 h. The atoms were evaporated from a filament and stored in the argon buffer gas of an optical cell. Atomic levels were sought by the method of resonance ionization spectroscopy using an excimer-dye-laser combination. Two atomic levels were found at wave numbers (25 099.8±0.2) and (25 111.8±0.2) cm-1. Partial transition rates to the 5f127s2 3H6e ground state have been determined from their saturation characteristics. Multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock calculations suggest that the leading orders of these levels could be the 5f127s7p 5I6o and 5f127s7p 5G5o terms. © 2003 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.163002
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.163002
PACS:
32.30.–r, 31.10.+z, 32.10.Hq, 32.70.–n
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