A Systematic Study of Atomic Lifetimes of Levels Belonging to the Ag I, Cd I, Au I, and Hg I Isoelectronic Sequences

Atomic lifetimes in multiply charged ions have been determined by the beam-foil technique at moderate ion energies (i.e. below 1 MeV). Low-lying transitions in In II, In III, Sn III, Sn IV, Sb IV, Sb V, Te V, Te VI, Tl II, Tl III, Pb III, Pb IV, Bi IV, and Bi V, exhibit sufficient spectral intensity at ∼ 500 keV initial ion energy to allow lifetime determinations. Systematic trends in oscillator strength values for the 5 s 2 S -5 p 2 P , 5 p 2 P -5 d 2 D and 6 s 2 S -6 p 2 P transitions in the Ag I and Au I sequences, and for the 5 s 1 S -5 p 1 P , 5 p 3 P -5 d 3 D , and 6 s 1 S -6 p 1 P transitions in the Cd I and Hg I sequences have been studied on the basis of the obtained atomic lifetimes. The f -value systematics in the Ag I, Au I, Cd I, and Hg I sequences are compared with similar trends in the Cu I and Zn I sequences.