TRANSITION RATES FOR LITHIUM-LIKE IONS, SODIUM-LIKE IONS, AND NEUTRALALKALI-METAL ATOMS

Third-order many-body perturbation theory is used to obtain El transit ion amplitudes for ions of the lithium and sodium isoelectronic sequen ces and for the neutral alkali-metal atoms potassium, rubidium, cesium , and francium. Complete angular reductions of the first-, second-, an d third-order amplitudes are given. Tables of transition energies and rates are given for the 2p(1/2) --> 2s(1/2), 2p(3/2) --> 2s(1/2), 3s(1 /2) --> 2P(1/2), and 3s(1/2) --> 2p(3/2) transitions in the lithium is oelectronic sequence and for the corresponding 3p(1/2) --> 3s(1/2), 3p (3/2) --> 3s(1/2), 4s(1/2) --> 3p(1/2), and 4s(1/2) --> 3p(3/2) transi tions in the sodium sequence. For neutral alkali atoms, amplitudes of np(1/2) --> ns(1/2), np(3/2) --> ns(1/2), (n + 1)s(1/2) --> np(1/2), a nd (n + 1)s(1/2) --> np(3/2) transitions are evaluated, where n is the principal quantum number of the valence electron in the atomic ground state. Semi-empirical corrections for the omitted fourth- and higher- order terms in perturbation theory are given for the neutral alkali-me tal atoms. Comparisons with previous high-precision calculations and w ith experiment are made. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.