Transitions and level lifetimes in Ne II, III, Ar II, III, Kr II, III and Xe II

Beam-foil spectra of neon, argon, krypton, and xenon have been recorded photographically with a fast spectrograph. The particle energies ranged from 150 to 750 keV. Transitions in Ne II, III; Ar II, III; Kr II, III; and Xe II have been identified. In addition, new multiples were identified in Ne II and Xe II and a number of unidentified lines were observed in neon, argon, and krypton. Characteristic intensity decays of over 170 lines were measured, giving the mean lives of ≈ 80 levels, with an estimated error of 30 per cent. Tabulation of energy levels with similar electron configurations in neon, argon, krypton, and xenon shows a definite progression to larger mean lives as the nuclear change increases.