2003/04/25 by M. Sewtz, H. Backe, A. Dretzke +13 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic and Molecular Physics #Advanced Chemical Physics Studies #Nuclear physics research studies
paper · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.90.163002
openalex publication_date 2003/04/25 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
The atomic level structure of the element fermium was investigated for the first time using a sample of 2.7\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi1010 atoms of the isotope 255Fm with a half-life of 20.1 h. The atoms were evaporated from a filament and stored in the argon buffer gas of an optical cell. Atomic levels were sought by the method of resonance ionization spectroscopy using an excimer-dye-laser combination. Two atomic levels were found at wave numbers (25 099.8\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi0.2) and (25 111.8\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi0.2) cm^\ensuremath-1. Partial transition rates to the 5f127s2 3H6e ground state have been determined from their saturation characteristics. Multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock calculations suggest that the leading orders of these levels could be the 5f127s7p 5I6o and 5f127s7p 5G5o terms.