Laser induced fluorescence and optogalvanic spectroscopy applied to find previously unknown energy levels of La I and studies of their Zeeman structure

Abstract

After the excitation of the La-Ar plasma in a hollow cathode lamp we observed in optogalvanic spectra a number of atomic lines that could not be interpreted as transitions between already known La energy levels. Using the laser induced fluorescence (LIF) method and computer simulations of the hyperfine structure patterns, we derived 14 unknown La levels, all with even parity, in the energy range between 40 877 cm−1 and 43 485 cm−1. The existence of these levels was then confirmed by excitations from other known lower levels. We performed also investigations of the Zeeman structure of some of these lines in order to verify the J values of newly found levels and to determine their gJ factors.