New energy levels of atomic holmium discovered by laser spectroscopy in the near infrared spectral range

Abstract

A combination of optogalvanic spectroscopy and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy with a continuous wave tunable single mode Ti-Sa laser was applied to find new energy levels of atomic holmium. Free and excited holmium atoms were produced in a liquid nitrogen-cooled hollow-cathode lamp. In this study, we examined 35 spectral lines of Ho I in the near-infrared wavelength range from 698 nm to 833 nm. Altogether, 16 new energy levels have been discovered, 5 levels of even parity and 11 levels of odd parity. Another four energy levels have been discovered but have already been published by another research group. Data on the hyperfine structure for the new levels are presented. Additionally, hyperfine structure data of three known levels of even parity were determined for the first time. The existence of the new energy levels was confirmed by analyzing 60 lines of previously measured Fourier transform spectra to precisely determine the energy of the levels.