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Abstract

We present a comprehensive study of the electronic transitions in neutral cadmium (Cd I) with a focus on forbidden transitions, motivated by recent advances in laser technology and the growing relevance of cadmium in quantum gas research, precision metrology, and atom trapping. General analytic expressions are derived for transition matrix elements of all multipolar orders, formulated to be applicable for experimental use. Using configuration interaction combined with many-body perturbation theory, we calculate not only the previously reported contributions from electric dipole (E1) transitions, but also the electric quadrupole (E2), electric octupole (E3), magnetic dipole (M1), and magnetic quadrupole transitions (M2) that have not yet been investigated for cadmium. These matrix elements are then employed to determine the lifetimes of key excited states, particularly those pertinent to laser cooling and optical frequency standards, and to evaluate the long-range dispersion coefficient C6. The linewidths of the strongest transitions, along with the atomic energy levels, are compared with available experimental data to validate the accuracy of the simulations. Overall, the results are in good agreement, with the calculated energy levels exhibiting an average relative deviation of 0.3% from experiments. These values serve as benchmarks for both bosonic and fermionic isotopes, providing a foundation for future experimental and theoretical work in cadmium-based precision spectroscopy and cold-collision studies.