Absolute term energy of core-excited doublet states of lithium

Thirteen core-excited lithium doublet states of the ${}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}$P, ${}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}$ ${\mathit{P}}^{\mathit{o}}$, ${}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}$D, and ${}_{}{}^2{}_{}{}^{}$ ${\mathit{D}}^{\mathit{o}}$ symmetries are calculated with a multiconfiguration-interaction wave function. A variation method is used for the bound states whereas the saddle-point and saddle-point complex-rotation methods are used for the autoionizing states. A restricted variation method is used for the saturated wave functions. Fine structures, relativistic corrections, and mass polarization corrections are calculated. The quantum electrodynamic corrections are also estimated. The absolute term energy is predicted with an uncertainty which is much smaller than that in the literature. Among these core-excited states, ten doublet-doublet transitions and one doublet-quartet transition have been measured. The largest error bar for the transition energy has been 6.2 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{-}1}$ whereas others range from 0.5 to 3.3 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{-}1}$. Our predicted transition wavelengths agree with the experiment for 10 of the 11 transitions. The only discrepancy is about 2 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{-}1}$. In the case where there is a disagreement between different experiments, our results show a clear preference in the comparison. The transition rates calculated in this work suggest that other spectral lines may also be observed in future experiments.