TRANSITION-PROBABILITIES FOR THE UVO.O1 MULTIPLET IN N-III

We report on large-scale ah initio multiconfiguration Hartree-Fock cal culations for the UV0.01 multiplet, 2s(2)2p(2)P(J)-2s2p(2 4) P-J', in N III. The resulting transition probabilities agree very well with rec ent semiempirical calculations, and the lifetimes for two of the three upper levels agree with experiments. The deviation for the third leve l is discussed. Comparisons made with the highest quality IUE echelle spectra available-those of RR Tel and V1016 Cyg (both photoionized sou rces with electron densities below 10(8) cm(-3)-show that computed bra nching ratios of lines sharing a common upper level are in agreement w ith observations to within uncertainties of +/-10%. High-quality solar limb data or stellar data from the Hubble Space Telescope could, in p rinciple, be used to determine whether the theoretical or measured lif etimes for the discrepant level are in error. Unfortunately, stellar d ata for high-density plasmas (N-e > 10(11) cm(-3) are needed) do not y et exist, and existing solar data lack the photometric precision to ad dress this problem.