Description
In this paper, we present collision strengths and Maxwellian averaged effective collision strengths for the electron-impact excitation of NiII. Attention is expressly concentrated on the optically allowed fine-structure transitions between the 3d^9^, 3d^8^4s, and 3d^7^4s^2^ even parity levels and the 3d^8^4p and 3d^7^4s 4p odd parity levels. The parallel RMATRXII R-matrix package has been recently extended to allow for the inclusion of relativistic fine-structure effects. This suite of codes has been utilized in conjunction with the parallel PSTGF and PSTGICF programs in order to compute converged total collision strengths for the allowed transitions with which this study is concerned. All 113 LS terms identified with the 3d^9^, 3d^8^4s, 3d^7^4s^2^, 3d^8^4p, and 3d^7^4s 4p basis configurations were included in the target wavefunction representation, giving rise to a sophisticated 295 jj-level, 1930 coupled channel scattering complex. Maxwellian averaged effective collision strengths have been computed at 30 individual electron temperatures ranging from 30 to 1000000K. This range comfortably encompasses all temperatures significant to astrophysical and plasma applications.
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