High Resolution Spectroscopy of Singly Charged Ions Applications of Laser and Fourier Transform Techniques

Sammanfattning: This thesis presents measurements of fundamental properties of singly charged ionic systems including spectral wavelengths, lifetimes of excited states and branching fractions with the main focus on time resolved laser spectroscopy of stored ions providing lifetime measurements of metastable states. The results of these measurements have been used to determine energy levels and transition probabilities of the studied systems. The included experimental data are compared with results from calculations which provides evaluations of different theoretical models. The presented results have been applied by others to the field of atomic astrophysics in order to deduce electron densities and elemental abundances in ejecta of the supermassive star eta Carinae and have also been followed by additional work of theoreticians interested in comparisons with laboratory data. The thesis is a result of several collaborations in which Stockholm University has been providing lifetime measurements of metastable states, Lund Observatory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have been providing wavelength and branching fraction measurements, Lund Laser Centre has been providing lifetime measurements of short-lived states and calculations have been performed by theoretical physicists from Université de Mons-Hainaut, Université de Liège, Queen's University of Belfast and Laboratoire Aimé Cotton.