Relativistic effects on transition probabilities3P1→1S0for group II elements

The equivalent operator formalism is used to perform calculations of transition probabilities 3 P 1 to 1 S 0 in group II elements. Usually these transitions proceed from the spin-orbit mixing between 3 P 1 state and 1 P 1 state, but in a relativistic treatment two phenomena occur simultaneously: deviation from LS coupling and relativistically allowed spontaneous decay of 3 P 1 . These two effects are shown to be comparable. The agreement between theoretical and experimental lifetimes of the lowest 3 P 1 level is quite satisfying taking into account the simplicity of the method.