The Measurement of Branching Ratios of Spontaneous Radiative Transition Probabilities for Be-Like Ions N IV and O V

Abstract

In an experiment to measure emission line intensities from the Belike ion Ne VII (Lang 1983), the intensity ratio I(2s3s3S−2s3p3P)/I(2p23P−2s3p3P) was found to be a factor six larger than predicted from the ratio of the theoretical spontaneous radiative transition probabilities (A values). Indeed, to reconcile the Ne VII experiment and theory in several respects it was suggested also that in Be-like C III the theoretical ratios I(2s3s1 S−2s3p1P)/I(2p21D−2s3p1P) was about a factor three too low.The same apparatus was used to measure A value ratios in Be-like N IV and 0 V. Briefly the 40 kJ θ-pinch plasma source was viewed radially using a m Ebert and a l m grazing incidence photoelectric spectrometer. The m Ebert was intensity calibrated from 7300 Å to 3600 Å using a tungsten filament lamp, and from 3800 Å to 2500 Å using a deuterium lamp, both lamps having been calibrated by NPL. As described fully by Lang (1983), the branching-ratios method was used to calibrate the front exit slit of the grazing incidence instrument in the wavelength range 88 Å to 500 Å. Only Li-like line pairs of those listed in that paper were used with the addition of the C IV doublets 2s2S−3p2P (312.4 Å) and 3s2S−3p2P (5801.33 Å, 5811.98 Å). The H-like ion He II 1–4 transition (243.0 Å) and 3–4 transition (4685.7 Å) were used to cross-check the calibration. As shown in the figure, the He II result agrees excellently with the calibration as defined from the Li-like lines.