EXPERIMENTAL-OBSERVATION AND THEORETICAL CALCULATIONS OF RYDBERG SERIES IN HOLLOW LITHIUM ATOMIC STATES

Several extended Rydberg series have been experimentally identified in triply excited states of hollow lithium, by use of electron spectrome try and synchrotron radiation at the Advanced Light Source. Energies, partial cross sections, and quantum defects have also been calculated using the R-matrix approximation. Our results show that the two inner electrons stay in a core-excited state of given symmetry while the beh avior of the third electron is mostly governed by the nuclear potentia l screened by the two inner electrons.