Atomic Transition Probability Measurements with the Kitt Peak 1-m. FTS*

Abstract

The simplest method for measuring atomic transition probabilities is a two step process requiring (1) the radiative lifetime of the upper level of the transition and (2) the branching fraction, the probability that the upper level decays via the particular transition of interest. This latter probability is found by measuring the relative intensity of all of the decay channels that contribute significantly to the total decay strength of the upper level.