Experimental transition probabilities for several spectral lines arising from the 5d 6s{8s, 7p, 5f, 5g} electronic configurations of Pb III

Transition probabilities for 30 spectral lines, arising from the 5d¹⁰ 6s{8s, 7p, 5f, 5g} electronic configurations of Pb III (20 measured for the first time), have been experimentally determined from measurements of emission line intensities in a plasma lead induced by ablation with a Nd:YAG laser. The line intensities were obtained with the target placed in molecular argon at 6 Torr, recorded at a 400 ns delay from the laser pulse, which provides appropriate measurement conditions, and analysed between 200 and 700 nm. They are measured when the plasma reaches local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). The plasma under study had an electron temperature (T) of 21,400 K and an electron number density (N_e) of 7×10¹⁶ cm⁻³. The influence of self-absorption has been estimated for every line, and plasma homogeneity has been checked. The values obtained were compared with previous experimental values and theoretical estimates where possible.