An assessment of the effective Gaunt factor approximation

Based on comparisons with recent theoretical data, it is shown that the effective Gaunt factor for Δn = 0 transitions in alkali-like ions is within 25% of unity in most cases and is a slowly varying function of energy. A more complex energy dependence is noted for some non-alkali-like spectra, and especially for Δn ≠ 0 excitations. A method for the approximation of important correlation effects in the target is discussed for transitions of the type ns²¹S-nsnp¹P⁰.