  This work reports new experimental radiative lifetimes and calculated
oscillator strengths for transitions from 3d8 4d levels of astrophysical
interest in singly ionized nickel. Radiative lifetimes of seven high-lying
levels of even parity in Ni II (98400 -100600 cm-1) have been measured using
the time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence method. Two-step photon excitation
of ions produced by laser ablation has been utilized to populate the levels.
Theoretical calculations of the radiative lifetimes of the measured levels and
transition probabilities from these levels are reported. The calculations have
been performed using a pseudo-relativistic Hartree-Fock method, taking into
account core polarization effects. A new set of transition probabilities and
oscillator strengths has been deduced for 477 Ni II transitions of
astrophysical interest in the spectral range 194 - 520 nm depopulating even
parity 3d8 4d levels. The new calculated gf-values are, on the average, about
20 % higher than a previous calculation by Kurucz (http://kurucz.harvard.edu)
and yield lifetimes within 5 % of the experimental values.
