Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2408.07830

Spectrum and energy levels of the high-lying singly excited configurations of Nd III

M. Ding·A. N. Ryabtsev·E. Y. Kononov·T. Ryabchikova·J. C. Pickering
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Fourier transform spectra of Nd Penning and hollow cathode discharge lamps were recorded within the region 32,500-54,000 cm$^{-1}$ (3077-1852 {\AA}) and grating spectra of Nd vacuum sliding sparks were recorded within the regions 820-1159 {\AA} and 1600-3250 {\AA}. New energy levels were found using the observed wavelengths measured accurate to a few parts in $10^8$ in Fourier transform spectra and to a few parts in $10^7$ in grating spectra. Atomic structure and transition probability calculations of Nd III were made using the Cowan codes by adjusting energy parameters to fit all known Nd III levels. Nd-rich stellar spectra were also used to evaluate the new calculations. In total, 355 transitions were classified from observed spectra involving 116 previously experimentally unknown energy levels of the 4f$^3$7s, 4f$^3$6d, and 4f$^3$5f configurations of Nd III, all reported here for the first time. One newly identified level of the 4f$^3$5d configuration is also reported. Typical level energy uncertainties are 0.01 cm$^{-1}$ for the 4f$^3$7s and 4f$^3$6d levels and 0.3 cm$^{-1}$ for the 4f$^3$5f levels. In addition, calculated energy levels up to 130,936 cm$^{-1}$ are presented, including eigenvector composition and calculated level lifetimes. Calculated transition probabilities and wavelengths between 1900-50,000 {\AA} are also presented. Using newly established levels of the 4f$^3$7s configuration and the recently established levels of the 4f$^3$6s configuration, the ionisation energy of Nd III was estimated at $178,090\pm330$ cm$^{-1}$, doubling the accuracy of the previously published value.

Explore related subjects

physics.atom-ph

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

M. Ding, A. N. Ryabtsev, E. Y. Kononov, T. Ryabchikova, J. C. Pickering. 2024-08-14. Spectrum and energy levels of the high-lying singly excited configurations of Nd III. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202451652

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Delay-engineered dynamical phases in a programmable non-Markovian spin oscillator

Non-Markovian dynamics offer a new route towards engineering non-equilibrium matter, where memory and feedback act as programmable resources for controlling order in time. Here we report the realization of a non-Markovian spin oscillator in a hot vapour $^{129}$Xe-Cs co-magnetometer with programmable feedback delay and gain. By tuning these parameters, we observe a hierarchy of dynamical phases, including time-crystalline response, nonlinear bifurcations, and frequency-comb formation. The measured spectra and phase boundaries are captured by linear stability analysis of delayed Bloch equations, revealing these phenomena as different manifestations of the same memory-induced instability structure. These results establish time-delayed feedback as a powerful strategy for controlling non-equilibrium phases, enabling quantum sensing, frequency referencing, and synchronization within a single spin-based platform.

physics.atom-ph↗
arXiv2026

Non-stick vacuum wall collisions with a laser-coolable molecule

Molecular species that are suitable for direct laser cooling are typically considered lost or destroyed if they collide with an ambient temperature vacuum wall. Here, we study surface collisions with aluminum monofluoride (AlF), a laser-coolable molecule that survives this process with unusually high probability. We detect the outgoing AlF molecules from a single wall collision via Doppler-sensitive laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy, using incoming supersonic (pulsed) and thermochemical (continuous) molecular beams. The angular, velocity and rovibrational level distributions of the outgoing molecules show near-complete thermalisation to the wall in a single collision event. We determine an upper limit to the surface residence time of about 5$~\mu$s, and by monitoring the decay in density of pulses of molecules loaded into a small storage volume, we deduce the surface sticking probability for different materials. For a siloxane-coated metallic surface, the sticking probability of AlF is about 0.015, allowing us to accumulate molecules from the thermochemical source into an ambient temperature storage vessel at densities near $10^{8}~$cm$^{-3}$. This provides a route to compact, portable traps for neutral molecules.

physics.atom-ph↗
arXiv2026

Kinetic modeling of molecular beam formation in a cryogenic buffer-gas cell

Cryogenic buffer-gas cells are widely used to produce cold molecular beams, but the microscopic dynamics governing beam formation remain challenging to model. Here we present fully kinetic simulations of a cryogenic buffer-gas cell using the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method implemented in the PICLas framework, treating the buffer gas and ablated molecules within a single unified model. We capture characteristic features of cryogenic buffer-gas sources, including plume cooling, directed transport toward the aperture, and the formation of a slow molecular beam, while also resolving energy transfer from the hot ablation plume to the helium buffer gas that is inaccessible to existing approaches relying on the background-gas approximation. Our results demonstrate that fully kinetic simulations can provide detailed insights into buffer-gas cell dynamics and open a route toward a systematic optimization of such sources.

physics.atom-ph↗