Radiative decay from the 7s1/2 level in Pb+ and transition probabilities of astrophysical interest in Pb+ and Bi++

Abstract

In the present work, we report on experimental and theoretical determination of the decay rates from the 7s1/2 state in singly ionized lead. Lifetime measurements performed using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy and lifetime computations carried out with the multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock method allow us to solve the discrepancies previously observed between theory and experiment for this level. New transition probabilities are proposed for the two depopulation channels, i.e. the 6p1/2–7s1/2 and 6p3/2–7s1/2 transitions of astrophysical interest in Pb II and Bi III, respectively.