DETERMINATION OF RADIATIVE LIFETIMES OF EXCITED-STATES IN NEUTRAL GOLD USING TIME-RESOLVED VACUUM-ULTRAVIOLET LASER SPECTROSCOPY

Natural radiative lifetimes of the states in the highly perturbed 5d10np 2P sequence in neutral gold, Au I, for n = 6-9, as well as of four of the perturbing 5d(9)6s6p 2P states, have been measured. This was done by direct excitation from the ground state with short-pulse vacuum-ultraviolet laser light and time-resolved detection of the laser-induced fluorescence. We found the lifetimes to be tau(6p P-2(1/2))=6.2(2) ns, tau(6p P-2(3/2))=4.7(2) ns, tau(7p P-2(1/2))=6.4(7) ns, tau(7p P-2(3/2))=5.3(7) ns, tau(8p P-2(1/2))=63(3) ns, tau(8p P-2(3/2))=24(2) ns, tau(9p P-2(1/2))=28(2) ns, and tau(9p P-2(3/2))=75(4) ns. For the perturbing states (two states of each term have been observed) we found tau(P-2(1/2), 60983.05 cm-1)=17.5(10) ns, tau(P-2(1/2), 62540.65 cm-1)=6.7(7) ns, tau(P-2(3/2), 58826.30 cm-1)=2.1(15) ns, and tau(P-2(3/2), 63005.62 cm-1)=2.7(15) ns. Furthermore, we have investigated the hyperfine structure of the 6p P-2(3/2) State.