Investigation of Pr I lines by a simulation of their hyperfine patterns: discovery of new levels

Abstract

Hyperfine structure (hf) patterns of unclassified spectral lines of the praseodymium atom, as appear in a high-resolution Fourier transform spectrum, have been simulated. In this way, the J-values and hf constants of the levels involved in the transitions were determined. Assuming that so far only one unknown level is participating in the transition, these constants were used to identify the known level. The second unknown level was found by performing subtraction or addition of the wave number of the transition to the wave number of the known level. The existence of the new level was then checked by explaining other unclassified lines with respect to the wave number and the hf pattern. In this way, 19 new levels of the praseodymium atom were discovered and are presented in this paper. In some cases, the accuracy of the hf constants was improved by laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy.