Improved many-body perturbation theory calculations of the n=2 states of lithiumlike uranium.

A recent calculation of the spectrum of the {ital n}=2 states of lithiumlike uranium is improved by a more accurate treatment of the effect of finite nuclear size and a more complete calculation of higher-order corrections to Breit and mass-polarization contributions. Predictions for the 2{ital s}{sub 1/2}-2{ital p}{sub 1/2} and 2{ital p}{sub 1/2}-2{ital p}{sub 3/2} splittings, incorporating a phenomenological treatment of radiative corrections, are presented.