High-Sensitivity Absorption Spectroscopy in Fe II

We report the first measurements of UV oscillator strengths ({ital f}-values) in FeII from a high-sensitivity absorption experiment developed at the University of Wisconsin. The accuracy of our measurements is demonstrated by our reproducing well-known {ital f}-value ratios in FeI and FeII. The first laboratory {ital f}-value measurement of the 160.845 nm transition in FeII is presented and compared to values in the literature. While this paper focuses on FeII, the high-sensitivity absorption method that we have developed is applicable to essentially every element in the periodic table, for both neutral and singly ionized species, over a broad range of wavelength and line strength. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Astronomical Society.}