Properties of metastable alkaline-earth-metal atoms calculated using an accurate effective core potential

The first three electronically excited states in the alkaline-earth-metal atoms magnesium, calcium, and strontium comprise the (nsnp)P-3(J)o(J=0,1,2) fine-structure manifold. All three states are metastable and are of interest for optical atomic clocks as well as for cold-collision physics. An efficient technique-based on a physically motivated potential that models the presence of the ionic core-is employed to solve the Schrodinger equation for the two-electron valence shell. In this way, radiative lifetimes, laser-induced clock shifts, and long-range interaction parameters are calculated for metastable Mg, Ca, and Sr.