Energy levels, radiative rates and electron impact excitation rates for transitions in Si III

Energy levels and radiative rates (A-values) for four types of transitions (E1, E2, M1, and M2) are reported for an astrophysically important Mg-like ion Si III, whose emission lines have been observed in a variety of plasmas. For the calculations, well-known and widely-used grasp code has been adopted, and results are listed for transitions among the 141 levels of the 3ℓ3ℓ′ and 3ℓ4ℓ configurations. Experimental energies are available for only the lowest 58 levels but there is no major discrepancy with theoretical results. Similarly, the A-values and lifetimes show a satisfactory agreement with other available results, particularly for strong E1 transitions. Collision strengths are also calculated, with the darc code, and listed for resonance transitions over a wide energy range, up to 30 Ryd. No similar results are available in the literature for comparisons. However, comparisons are made with the more important parameter, effective collision strength (Υ), for which recent R-matrix results are available for a wide range of transitions, and over a large range of temperatures. To determine Υ, resonances have been resolved in a narrow energy mesh, although these are not observed to be as important as for other ions. Unfortunately, large discrepancies in Υ values are noted for about half the transitions. The differences increase with increasing temperature and worsen as the upper level J increases. In most cases the earlier results are overestimated, by up to (almost) two orders of magnitude, and this conclusion is consistent with the one observed earlier for Be-like ions.