Radiative lifetimes of neutral samarium

Radiative lifetimes of 120 odd-parity levels of neutral samarium, ranging in energy from 17 190 to 33 507 cm−1, are measured using the technique of time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence on a slow atomic beam. This work is part of an ongoing study of radiative properties of rare earth neutral atoms, and is motivated by research needs in astrophysics and lighting technology. This set of Sm i lifetimes substantially increases the available published lifetime data, with 49 of the 120 level lifetimes measured for the first time. These data, most of which are accurate to ±5%, will be combined with branching fractions determined from Fourier transform spectroscopy to produce a large set of measured Sm i transition probabilities.