Al II emission-line strengths in low-density astrophysical plasmas

Theoretical values of the emission-line ratio R are derived for the transitions 3s2 1S-3s3p 3P2 and 3s2 1S-3s3p 3P1 in Al II, at 2660 and 2669 A, respectively. These ratios are compared with IUE observations of the planetary nebula NGC 7027 and the symbiotic star RR Tel, to illustrate the usefulness of the R as an electron density diagnostics. A value of R = 0.72 was deduced for NGC 7027, which implies log Ne = 4.2 for Te = 14,000 K. This is consistent with densities deduced earlier for this planetary nebula.