Spectral Data for Ta II with Application to the Tantalum Abundance in chi Lupi

Tantalum spectra, emitted from a hollow cathode, have been recorded with a Fourier transform spectrometer in the region 2000–5000 Ů The observed hyperfine patterns of Ta II have been analyzed, yielding center-of-gravity wavelengths for 199 lines and hyperfine constants for 38 even and 97 odd levels of Ta II. Improved energy level values have been derived. The laboratory data have been used for a study of the tantalum abundance of the CP star chi Lupi.