Radiative lifetimes of 17 excited levels of Nb i, in the energy range 27 400–47 700 cm⁻¹ (5p y ⁶D°_9/2, 5p x ⁶D°_7/2, 5p w ⁴G°_7/2,9/2,11/2, 5s5p v ⁴D°_{1/2,3/2,5/2,7/2}, 5s6p n ⁴D°_{1/2,3/2,5/2,7/2}, 5s6p o ⁴F°_{3/2,5/2,7/2,9/2}), have been measured. For 15 of these levels, the lifetimes are obtained for the first time. The lifetimes were measured using the time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence technique and the experiments are complemented by a theoretical investigation using a relativistic Hartree–Fock method including core polarization. By combining the experimental lifetimes and the calculated...

Radiative lifetimes of 17 excited levels of Nb i, in the energy range 27 400–47 700 cm⁻¹ (5p y ⁶D°_9/2, 5p x ⁶D°_7/2, 5p w ⁴G°_7/2,9/2,11/2, 5s5p v ⁴D°_{1/2,3/2,5/2,7/2}, 5s6p n ⁴D°_{1/2,3/2,5/2,7/2}, 5s6p o ⁴F°_{3/2,5/2,7/2,9/2}), have been measured. For 15 of these levels, the lifetimes are obtained for the first time. The lifetimes were measured using the time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence technique and the experiments are complemented by a theoretical investigation using a relativistic Hartree–Fock method including core polarization. By combining the experimental lifetimes and the calculated branching fractions, we obtain transition probabilities for the individual de-excitation channels from the investigated levels.