Lifetimes of 21 excited states in atomic Yb were measured using time-resolved fluorescence detection following pulsed laser excitation. The lifetime of the 4${\mathit{f}}^{14}$5d6${\mathit{s}}^{\mathrm{}3}$${\mathit{D}}_1$ state, which is of particular importance for a proposed study of parity nonconservation in atoms, was measured to be 380(30) ns. © 1996 The American Physical Society.

• Received 20 November 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.53.3103